Kensington and Chelsea College

Kensington and Chelsea College Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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Name of lead inspector: Steven Stanley, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: General further education college

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Address:

Kensington and Chelsea College Hortensia Road London SW10 0QS Monitoring visit: Kensington and Chelsea College, 22 November 2019

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Context and focus of visit

Kensington and Chelsea College was inspected in November 2018. At that time, inspectors judged the overall effectiveness of the provision to require improvement.

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Context and focus of visit

The focus of this monitoring visit was to evaluate the progress that leaders and managers have made in addressing the main areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection.

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Context and focus of visit

At the time of the monitoring visit, there were 5,436 learners on courses from entry level to level 4. Most of these were on adult learning programmes. There were 409 learners on education programmes for young people. A small proportion of learners were on courses at four subcontractors. In February 2020, the college is due to merge with another London college.

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Reasonable progress

The senior leadership team has a clear rationale for the curriculum. Leaders use data well, such as applications from learners and their qualification achievements, to plan courses that are right for the learners who come to the college. They work well with local education and training providers, to find out the types of courses that local people want and are studying. They have enhanced their curriculum with new courses in the local community. They have improved how they give advice and guide learners, to recruit them into the right courses. Leaders have restructured the governing body, which has improved oversight of the curriculum.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and governors are working well together to improve the quality of education provision. Governors scrutinise the progress senior leaders make on actions. They voiced concerns and challenged leaders to improve the recruitment and attendance of learners, for example. Leaders have been successful in raising the attendance levels of learners in classes. Leaders and teachers have ensured more learners stay on their courses and achieve their qualifications.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have improved how they evaluate and report on the quality of the provision, such as how they evaluate support for learners and their achievement of qualifications. They summarise the key strengths and weaknesses succinctly and accurately in their annual self-assessment report. This analysis provides a strong basis for improving quality. Leaders’ planning as a result gives managers a clear steer on the actions they need to take. Monitoring visit: Kensington and Chelsea College, 22 November 2019 Gaps in leaders’ oversight in checking the quality of the curriculum remain. Leaders have good enough oversight of the performance of staff to manage them effectively. They do not yet have sufficiently useful information on more detailed aspects of teaching, in order to improve teachers’ practice sufficiently. Leaders recognise this and are introducing a new observation system for this purpose.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have made solid improvements in managing the quality of teaching. They have improved the quality and use of coaches and advanced practitioners. Leaders, teachers, and support staff have improved their teamwork on courses to help learners in their studies. They communicate more effectively and have a good enough overview of learners’ progress. They are clear who has responsibility for each aspect of the learner’s development. Teachers have worked closely with colleagues from other colleges to improve teaching. Consequently, they have gained new ideas for their teaching practice. Most of these initiatives to improve teaching, however, are recent.

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Reasonable progress

Most teachers assess what learners know and can do well on their courses. For example, in mathematics, teachers check effectively how learners apply their knowledge of numeracy and problem-solving skills. They use this information to plan lessons to address the learners’ gaps in knowledge. They introduce the right learning at the right time to check that learners can remember what they have learned. Consequently, in science, learners are proficient at recalling, when asked, functions of the human body such as the cardiac system.

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Reasonable progress

A few teachers do not yet ensure that learners build on their knowledge by checking their understanding. For example, they do not correct learners’ mistakes in their work, which results in learners repeating errors or making incorrect notes.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders do not have a clear enough picture of what teaching has the most and least impact in building knowledge and skills, and why. They recognise that they need to gain better insight of this to improve how they develop teachers’ skills across the college. Recent staff development has had a positive impact on teachers’ reflection of their practice and motivation.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have put in place improved support arrangements for learners. Support staff assess learners’ needs thoroughly at the start of their courses. They have improved communications with teachers, so they are clear what the needs of the learners are. Support staff are more proactive at making sure learners get the help they need in lessons so that they keep up with their studies. Monitoring visit: Kensington and Chelsea College, 22 November 2019 Teachers know their learners well and are particularly mindful of the personal circumstances that are barriers to their progress. They are swift at referring them to get the right support. For example, learners who experience mental health difficulties get access to expert help from new specialist staff.

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Reasonable progress

Teachers and managers have increased the proportion of learners with a range of support needs who complete their courses. Learners with high needs achieve well; achievement rates for those learners with a learning difficulty or disability have increased. Learners with dyslexia have practical one-to-one support outside the classroom, which helps them improve the quality of their written work. Teachers show them effectively how to better organise their work.

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Reasonable progress

The large majority of teachers provide useful guidance to learners who struggle to recall information. For example, they give useful lists of words to learners, which they use to check their understanding and help remember vocabulary.

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Reasonable progress

Teachers do not help a few learners who need extra support, to gain the confidence to carry out tasks on their own. Consequently, they do not develop the knowledge and skills to work out problems for themselves.

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Reasonable progress

A small minority of teachers do not ensure that learners build sufficiently on what they know. They are effective at verbally going through a concept with learners so that they understand it. However, on occasion, they struggle to find alternative ways to help them when their explanation does not work. Monitoring visit: Kensington and Chelsea College, 22 November 2019 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

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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