New City College

New City College Monitoring visit report

p.1

Name of lead inspector: Steve Stanley HMI

p.1

Type of provider: General further education college

p.1

Address:

New City College Poplar High Street London E14 0AF Monitoring visit: New City College 27–28 June 2019

p.1

Context and focus of visit

New City College was formed by a merger of four predecessor colleges. Tower Hamlets College merged with Hackney Community College in August 2016. Redbridge College joined the group in April 2017. Epping Forest College was the last to join in August 2018.

p.2

Context and focus of visit

At its most recent inspection in 2013, Tower Hamlets College was judged to be good. In 2015, Hackney Community College and Redbridge College were judged to be good. At its most recent inspection in 2018, Epping Forest College was judged to require improvement. The focus of this visit was to look at the progress that leaders had made on the main areas of improvement from the most recent inspection of Epping Forest College.

p.2

Context and focus of visit

At the time of the monitoring visit, there were 13,308 learners at New City College. The majority were adult learners. Around a third were on 16 to 19 study programmes. There were 644 apprentices across the college group, 416 learners who have high needs and 86 learners aged 14 to 16.

p.2

Reasonable progress

At the most recent inspection of Epping Forest College, apprenticeships were judged to be inadequate. The progress that apprentices made in their learning was too slow. Too many did not achieve their qualification. Staff did not have reliable information to manage apprentices’ progress effectively. At the time of the visit, at the Epping Forest campus 18 apprentices on electrical installation were completing their programmes.

p.2

Reasonable progress

Since the merger, the new senior leadership team has halted the decline in the apprenticeship provision. Leaders have improved teaching and assessment practice. They have focused well on getting more apprentices through their qualification. Managers have been quick to gain better oversight of the progress and outcomes of apprentices. Senior leaders are making good use of staff from other campuses to improve practice. They have put in place a curriculum that takes the best practice from the four predecessor colleges. They have a solid base to improve outcomes for apprentices, which have not been consistent or high enough over the last few years.

p.2

Reasonable progress

Leaders have been adept at supporting apprentices at risk of not achieving. For example, the few electrical installation apprentices are now back on track to achieve. These apprentices noted and valued the changes made by leaders to help them Monitoring visit: New City College 27–28 June 2019 complete their apprenticeship. Leaders have made sure that the principles and requirements of the apprenticeship programme are now in place. Attendance of apprentices at their lessons has improved. Employers are positive about the improved communication they have with the college. This has helped to plan learning and check the progress of apprentices. In a few cases, assessors do not check the work of apprentices effectively to help them understand what they need to do to improve.

p.2

Reasonable progress

Leaders and teachers have improved the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. It is part of a New City College drive for improvement. They have a clear overview of the strengths and weaknesses of teaching and assessment. They are aware there is more work to do to improve the quality teaching at the Epping Forest Campus to be consistently good across different subjects.

p.3

Reasonable progress

Senior leaders focus well on developing teachers’ skills. Teachers have welcomed a more supportive approach where peers assess what they could improve or what they do well. Teachers feel supported to talk about how they can improve without fear of failure. Managers follow up actions that arise from the assessment of weaknesses in teaching effectively. Across the college, teachers are beginning to share good practice, leading to improvements in the quality of learning.

p.3

Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have made improvements in checking the progress that learners make. They have improved the assessment of learning and know better how well their learners understand the course content. Teachers have also improved how well they monitor learners who are making slower progress. In a few cases, teachers do not correct learners’ written work where there are spelling and grammatical errors. As a result, these learners are repeating the same mistakes in their work.

p.3

Reasonable progress

Teachers help learners develop useful skills. In hairdressing lessons, learners are confident when talking with clients about the techniques they use. Performing arts learners talk about how they have developed their resilience to cope with challenges in performance. In a few cases, learners’ knowledge of a topic is not secure enough.

p.3

Reasonable progress

The proportion of learners who achieve their functional skills qualifications in English and mathematics has increased. Staff with expertise in these subjects work effectively with teachers in vocational subject areas. Personal tutors now receive frequent and useful reports on the progress of learners. Monitoring visit: New City College 27–28 June 2019

p.3

Significant progress

The governance arrangements at New City College are effective. Governors and leaders have created a strong sense of purpose to improve the newly-merged college which is shared by staff. Leaders at all levels have a determination to make the college a success for their learners. Senior leaders have focused well on fundamental performance indicators. These include how well learners attend and stay on their courses. Governors and leaders at all levels have worked to improve these gaps in quality. It has meant a significant culture change in the expectations of learners. More learners have stayed on their courses this year, and there has been an improvement in learners’ frequency of attendance in lessons.

p.4

Significant progress

Governors are aware of, and are committed to, the challenges that New City College faces. They have a clear picture of the relative performance of all the colleges in the group. They use pertinent information to assess the quality of teaching over time. Governors offer good advice on leaders’ curriculum planning and proposals. They scrutinise information and use it skilfully to question and support leaders’ performance.

p.4

Significant progress

Leaders across the college are self-critical. They know the gaps in education and training provision across the college. They have a sharp focus on helping more learners to achieve. This focus includes evaluating and improving subject performance across the campuses. The proportion of learners achieving their qualifications has increased.

p.4

Significant progress

Leaders and governors have a clear oversight of the quality of teaching. They are working effectively to develop better teaching across the college. They are finding and remedying less effective practice. They are clear on the expectations they have for teaching. They are aware of the variations in the quality of teaching in parts of the curriculum.

p.4

Significant progress

Leaders often seek learners’ views in focus groups on the quality of their learning experience. They ensure that they make improvements to quality as a result. Learners’ feedback in surveys on teaching is useful, but it is not clear how leaders use this information. The self-assessment report does not give a clear picture on what the quality of teaching is like from the learners’ perspective. Monitoring visit: New City College 27–28 June 2019 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

p.4

Significant 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.5

Significant 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.5

Significant progress

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

p.5

Significant progress

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

p.5

Significant progress

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

p.5