Haringey Sixth Form College

Haringey Sixth Form College Progress monitoring report

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Name of lead inspector: Gayle Saundry, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Address: White Hart Lane Tottenham London N17 8HR Monitoring visit: Haringey Sixth Form College, 10–11 February 2021

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Context and focus of visit

Haringey Sixth Form College was last inspected in January 2020. At that time, inspectors judged the overall effectiveness of the provision to require improvement.

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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 and training 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 students, parents, employers and government understand how providers are meeting the needs of students 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 students and there were no national expectations regarding remote education.

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Reasonable progress

In most vocational subjects leaders have carefully planned their curriculum so that students are able to build on their subject knowledge and skills over time. In some subjects, such as media, leaders have designed a curriculum through which students learn by completing industry-style projects which model how professionals complete tasks in the workplace. Leaders have responded positively to the constraints of lockdown as part of their curriculum planning. For example, in sport, students learning how to run a sporting activity are doing this at home, instructing family members on how to safely warm up for exercise. Teachers have also made Monitoring visit: Haringey Sixth Form College, 10–11 February 2021 adjustments to their curriculum to help students catch up on the knowledge and skills they have forgotten.

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Reasonable progress

In a minority of A-level and vocational subjects, curriculum leaders have not planned an effective curriculum which brings together key ideas and allows students to build knowledge over time. In a few subjects, curriculum leaders have not responded appropriately to the constraints of lockdown, meaning that some students are not able to continue to learn. In information technology, for example, the content being taught at present is not accessible to students who do not have access to the necessary devices and software.

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Reasonable progress

Teachers use an appropriate range of techniques in order to teach students during online lessons. A-level teachers skilfully question students to probe their understanding, and challenge other students to consider and comment on their responses. Teachers use effective strategies to encourage students to recall prior knowledge and use this to explain to students the link between what they have learned before and the new knowledge they will learn during that lesson. In vocational lessons, teachers use presentations, quizzes and breakout rooms to engage students. In a minority of A-level subjects, teachers set tasks for students which are insufficiently challenging and provide poor explanations of new ideas.

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Reasonable progress

In the majority of subjects, teachers make clear in their feedback what students have done well and what they need to do to improve, in addition to correcting students’ errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar. In a minority of subjects, especially at A level, the feedback that students receive does not make clear what they need to do to improve their work.

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Reasonable progress

Senior leaders have introduced a new system for tracking and responding to poor attendance. As a result, students’ attendance in the autumn term 2020 remained in line with the previous year, despite the challenges of COVID-19. Since moving to online teaching, however, there has been a significant dip in student attendance and punctuality in certain subjects, which leaders correctly attribute to the quality of curriculum planning and teaching in those subjects.

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Reasonable progress

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, staff have arranged for many vocational students to complete appropriate work experience. Staff also work with agencies such as Scope to provide careers advice to students in their entry and foundation programme, and provide support to students who are at risk of not completing their qualifications. Staff have not, however, provided all students with adequate information about potential future routes other than university.

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Reasonable progress

Teachers in entry and foundation programmes carefully consider students’ education, health and care plans to plan an appropriate curriculum that incorporates formal qualifications. Staff attend regular multi-agency meetings to discuss the support needs of students with high needs and provide them with access to counselling, therapy and a specialist nurse. In mainstream lessons, students with special educational needs are supported by learning support assistants in breakout rooms. Monitoring visit: Haringey Sixth Form College, 10–11 February 2021 Students feel safe at college when learning face to face and when in online lessons. Their tutors check in on them once per week in dedicated lessons, and have taught students how to stay safe online. Students know that their tutors and teachers are there to support them and would contact them if they needed help.

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Reasonable progress

The college offers a small provision for 14- to 16-year-old students. During lockdown, teachers offer lessons to these students three days per week, with the opportunity to attend college for extra support where needed. Staff contact these students on a weekly basis to check on their well-being, and send curriculum books home so that students can continue to learn during this time.

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Reasonable progress

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

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Reasonable progress

 continue to embed their strategy to improve attendance and punctuality across the college  continue to improve the quality of education in the college’s weakest subjects to ensure that students receive high-quality teaching and are given appropriate careers advice and guidance. Monitoring visit: Haringey Sixth Form College, 10–11 February 2021 regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for students 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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Reasonable progress

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

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