Hull College

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

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Name of lead inspector: Glenise Burrell, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 January 2023

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Type of provider: General further education college

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Address:

Queens Gardens Wilberforce Drive Hull HU1 3DG Monitoring visit: Hull College, 25 and 26 January 2023

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Context and focus of visit

Hull College was inspected in February 2022. 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 resolving the main areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection.

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Context and focus of visit

Since the college’s previous inspection, there have been multiple changes to the leadership within the college, including recruitment of a new principal and a large proportion of the senior leadership team.

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Significant progress

Leaders and managers have very effectively restructured the quality assurance arrangements at the college. The quality team complete thorough evaluations of the provision with curriculum heads, including ‘deep dives’ to monitor and improve teaching practice. Managers have implemented a useful and intensive professional development programme for staff, with development plans linked to the outcomes of the evaluations. As a result, the quality of teaching has improved significantly since the last inspection.

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Significant progress

Tutors plan and deliver the curriculum in a logical order, which enables learners to understand key concepts well. For example, in level 3 professional cookery, learners who were taught how to prepare and cook game at level 2 cover this again on the level 3 programme to deepen their knowledge and skills. To ensure that they perfect their skills, they practise on different-sized birds to master the process that they need to use in the workplace.

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Significant progress

Tutors are highly qualified and experienced in their subject and vocational areas and use their knowledge well in lessons. They succinctly answer complex questions asked by learners in their subject area. Tutors use a range of teaching strategies effectively to help learners develop new knowledge, skills and behaviours. For example, they provide helpful demonstrations in level 1 bricklaying and break work into small chunks in GCSE English, relating it to areas of interest to motivate learners. Monitoring visit: Hull College, 25 and 26 January 2023 Tutors have an accurate understanding of what learners can and cannot do at the start of their programme, and they use a range of assessment activities well to check learners’ understanding. They have made substantial progress in improving the feedback that they provide to learners to make it clearer and more specific so that it helps learners to improve further.

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Significant progress

Leaders and managers have a strong understanding of the quality of education provided by all tutors on study programmes. They closely monitor the outcomes of ‘deep dives’ and consider how what they find relates to outcomes for learners. As a result, learners’ assessment grades have improved. Leaders and managers work intensively with staff in curriculum areas that are not improving the quality of education that learners receive.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers set realistic targets and implement successful strategies to improve attendance. Strategies include individual support for poor attenders by dedicated, newly recruited attendance intervention officers. As a result of these strategies, attendance in the college has improved since the last inspection, including in English and mathematics.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have successfully introduced a supportive mentoring strategy to improve the attendance of adult learners. This includes more targeted support for adult learners, which can include home visits. Staff use partnerships effectively to support adult learners to attend, including working with social services for learners with particular needs, such as caring responsibilities.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have introduced an English and mathematics strategy, which involved a move to teaching English and mathematics in the individual institutes and departments within the college. The strategy includes monitoring and improving attendance and punctuality, and it has contributed to an improvement in attendance in English and mathematics. In construction, where attendance in English and mathematics lessons had been particularly low, managers have designed a targeted ‘success centre’, which includes drop-in sessions for struggling learners.

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Reasonable progress

Although interventions are in place to improve attendance, these have not improved punctuality. In recent months, the number of learners attending lessons late has increased. Monitoring visit: Hull College, 25 and 26 January 2023

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Significant progress

Leaders and managers have significantly improved the personal development curriculum since the last inspection, working in partnership with employers. Learners now benefit from a study programme that includes coaching and mentoring, tutorials, work experience and projects. Projects include briefs written by employers, competitions and other initiatives.

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Significant progress

Managers have designed useful digital content to support learners’ personal development, and a virtual college is now available for all learners to use. Learners can access short online courses, which increase in difficulty over time. Topics include sustainability, employability skills, and equality and diversity.

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Significant progress

Managers have introduced a termly learner professional development week, which learners attend well and find very helpful. Employers participate in the event to update learners on upcoming jobs and opportunities in their areas. The event also includes support from the local police, to improve learners’ understanding of various topics, such as county lines, bullying and the use of force.

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Significant progress

Managers have improved the learner induction process. This is now available over an extended period and includes a wider range of topics, such as understanding assessment methods and what it is like to work in learners’ chosen sector. Learner induction also now includes an external visit in the first six weeks. Engineering and motor vehicle learners recently visited Silverstone Circuit, and travel learners hosted events on travel exploration for the most disadvantaged children in the local area.

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Significant progress

Leaders have invested in a dedicated work experience staff team since the last inspection to ensure that learners have access to relevant and individual work experience placements. As a result, the number of learners accessing work experience has improved significantly.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have improved the careers information, advice and guidance provided to apprentices since the last inspection. They now provide career talks by employers, which include information about career progression opportunities and self-employment in their sectors. Managers have also updated the overall curriculum offered to apprentices, which now includes coverage of careers guidance during the programme, with a particular focus on options available to apprentices in their Monitoring visit: Hull College, 25 and 26 January 2023 chosen sectors. As a result of these developments, apprentices are more aware of opportunities available to them on completion of their programme.

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Reasonable progress

Managers have successfully included career enterprise in the curriculum for apprentices. For example, on the digital marketing and content creation programme, apprentices were tasked with setting up their own e-business. As a result of this, an apprentice had set up a successful small business and received a nomination for the Association of Colleges Apprentice of the Year Award.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have improved the process for recruiting new apprentices, which now involves occupationally competent skills coaches who ensure that apprentices are recruited to the right programme. A recently launched pre- apprenticeship programme to improve employability skills has resulted in all participants progressing to apprenticeship programmes.

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Reasonable progress

Although most apprentices receive impartial careers information advice and guidance, this is not recorded sufficiently enough to allow apprentices to review this information or to confirm their understanding. Monitoring visit: Hull College, 25 and 26 January 2023 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.

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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