Moulton College

Moulton College Progress monitoring report

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Name of lead inspector: Helen Whelan, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Specialist further education college

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Address: West Street Moulton Northamptonshire NN3 7RR Monitoring visit: Moulton College, 27–28 January 2021

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Context and focus of visit

Moulton College was last inspected in April 2019. At that time, inspectors judged the overall effectiveness of the provision to be inadequate.

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Context and focus of visit

This monitoring visit focused on the extent to which leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action to provide education in the current circumstances. It was undertaken as outlined in the operational note on visits carried out from January 2021 and with reference to the further education and skills handbook.

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Context and focus of visit

These visits are to help learners, parents, employers and government understand how providers are meeting the needs of learners in this period, including those with high needs and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Context and focus of visit

Following changes to government guidance and the imposition of COVID-19 (coronavirus) lockdown restrictions, inspectors carried out this monitoring activity remotely. As a result, the range of evidence available to inspectors was narrower than would be the case during an on-site inspection. Therefore this report provides a more limited level of assurance.

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Context and focus of visit

The impact of COVID-19 has been taken into account in the findings and progress judgement below. Inspectors did not evaluate leaders’ response to COVID-19 during the spring and summer of 2020, when the provider was not open to all learners and there were no national expectations regarding remote education.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have worked hard to improve the quality of education at Moulton College. Managers undertake curriculum reviews and performance monitoring boards with each department. These enable leaders to review the progress of each curriculum area and to work with staff to make improvements. This is having a positive impact on learners’ attendance and the progress they make.

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Reasonable progress

Governors hold senior leaders to account for their actions. They have paid considerable attention to the impact of national restrictions on college life. This supports leaders to ensure that remote teaching and support for learners is effective. Monitoring visit: Moulton College, 27–28 January 2021 Staff take learners’ attendance and engagement very seriously and intervene to support those learners who fail to meet the required standards. As a result, learners’ attendance in most remote lessons is high. At this time very few learners attend college. Those who do are supported to participate effectively in online learning.

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Reasonable progress

Lecturers’ continuing professional development is a priority for leaders, with a focus on improving teaching and sequencing the curriculum. Curriculum planning is coherent. Lecturers incorporate the needs of employers and the skills which learners will need in the workplace into their planning. In construction, managers have introduced an electric maintenance course, due to employer demand. In sport, lecturers consider the likely destinations of learners and the skills they will need.

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Reasonable progress

In the better lessons, lecturers build up lesson content skilfully. They check that learners understand key terms at the outset, then incrementally look at more challenging aspects of a topic. Effective use is made of chat functions and learners work collaboratively with their peers on clearly defined tasks. In a sports lesson, the lecturer provided a clear overview of the nutrition topic. Learners discussed the purposes of carbohydrates, proteins and fats, then explored any misconceptions. When this knowledge was consolidated, the lecturer then moved on to look at the energy values and benefits of different food types. He asked pertinent questions to develop learners’ grasp of the topic.

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Reasonable progress

In less effective lessons, lecturers struggle to articulate clearly the knowledge and skills which learners will develop. Lecturers do not make effective use at the start of lessons to check prior learning and introduce new learning. Lessons lack clear aims and objectives and the purpose of learning activities is often unclear. As a result, learners become confused and disengaged.

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Reasonable progress

Lecturers ensure that learners’ work reaches appropriately high standards. As some learners are finding it difficult to complete assignments without face-to-face teaching, lecturers are finding ways to provide additional support and feedback. In GCSE English, lecturers are using ‘live’ online marking so learners can receive prompt feedback. However, lecturers can miss learners’ spelling and grammatical errors using this method. The learners’ work seen by inspectors was marked thoroughly, and lecturers provided feedback that identified areas for improvement.

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Reasonable progress

Managers maintain a central register of learners who have been identified as being vulnerable. Pastoral staff contact vulnerable learners at least once per week and often more frequently. They make sure that these learners are well and coping with their studies. Where they are not, they take appropriate action, including referring them to other agencies. Lecturers also monitor the attendance and participation of learners in online learning, and where they have concerns these learners are added to the register.

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Reasonable progress

Learners know how to obtain help if they need it and support arrangements are comprehensive. There has been a significant rise in the number of learners reporting anxiety and depression since the start of the national restrictions. Staff have supported Monitoring visit: Moulton College, 27–28 January 2021 these learners through counselling, and referral to other support agencies. Learners have received safeguarding training which includes how to keep safe online.

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Reasonable progress

Staff continue to provide informative careers interviews for learners online. Learners are preparing for their next steps in education, training or employment and are well supported by college staff.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and those responsible for governance should take further action to:

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Reasonable progress

 identify the less effective lessons and work with lecturers to improve their practice  ensure that lecturers use their curriculum plans to devise clear, well- structured lessons that identify the knowledge and skills which learners need to develop  use curriculum reviews to focus more precisely on effective teaching practice and provide further training to lecturers on how to teach the curriculum well in face-to-face and remote contexts. Monitoring visit: Moulton College, 27–28 January 2021 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 lecturer training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council

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Reasonable progress

children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Reasonable progress

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

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