HRUC (Harrow, Richmond and Uxbridge Colleges)

HRUC (Harrow, Richmond and Uxbridge Colleges)

Address: Park Road, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 1NQ Unique reference number (URN): 2827075

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Achievement Expected standard

Trainees develop a broad range of important new knowledge and skills. They structure their lessons skilfully and use appropriate strategies, including demonstration, modelling and explanations, to teach their learners. For example, trainees teaching in motor vehicle maintenance demonstrate to their learners how to change tyres, breaks and oil and then move on to explain advanced techniques of engine repair clearly.

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Achievement Expected standard

Trainees are well prepared for the realities of teaching their subjects. They demonstrate sound theoretical understanding and use adaptive teaching strategies mostly effectively. However, the support that staff provide to help trainees manage behaviours is not consistently effective across campuses. Where it is weaker, trainees struggle to engage young learners and manage challenging behaviours successfully. Trainees understand their strengths and areas for development. They reflect thoughtfully on their teaching and use observation feedback effectively. Over time, trainees become more confident and skilled.

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Achievement Expected standard

Most trainees complete their apprenticeships and achieve distinctions in the teaching practice component of the end-point assessment.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Expected standard

Leaders and managers have developed an ambitious curriculum that meets the needs of trainees working in the further education and skills sector. Their programme design helps trainees to make links between the theoretical principles they study and their practical teaching. Trainees use models of reflection knowledgeably to make increasingly more informed teaching decisions that have positive impacts on the learners they teach. Trainees develop knowledge, skills and behaviours that are valued by their departmental managers.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Expected standard

Tutors embed the knowledge, skills and behaviours of the apprenticeship occupational standard effectively into their teaching sessions. Early on, trainees study core principles such as the roles and responsibilities of a teacher, theories of learning and behaviour management. Tutors seamlessly integrate content on digital pedagogy into their training and demonstrate the use of online teaching tools well. Trainees use tutor, peer, mentor and self- assessment to reflect on their areas for improvement. Through observations and written coursework, trainees benefit from constructive developmental feedback that helps them improve.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Expected standard

Managers have not considered thoughtfully enough the assessment plan in their curriculum design. In most instances, trainees experience challenges when managing the number of coursework submission dates and their teaching commitments.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Expected standard

Managers have put in place effective mentoring arrangements. They make sure that mentors are experts in teaching and learning, and they provide them with high-quality training and valuable opportunities to share best practice. Through target setting and professional discussion, mentors play an important role in supporting trainees to develop their understanding of teaching their subject. In most cases, trainees value their mentors.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Expected standard

Tutors make sure that trainees understand safeguarding protocols and procedures for identifying, recording and reporting concerns. They arrange for guest speakers from the college and the local authority to discuss safeguarding and inclusive practices. Trainees have a sound understanding of their responsibilities and they apply them confidently in their classrooms and workshops.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Expected standard

Trainees appreciate their tutors' expert modelling of a range of different teaching strategies. Tutors use demonstrations, modelling and guided practice. Trainees enhance their repertoire of strategies through exploring them with the learners they teach. For example, trainees preparing to teach English for speakers of other languages use activities in the immersive classroom, differentiated reading tasks, entry and exit tickets and QR codes to create quizzes. Trainees enjoy experimenting with new ideas.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Expected standard

Trainers use a range of appropriate assessment methods. They use developmental observations, peer feedback, project-based tasks, presentations, written assignments and reflective journals that enable trainees to demonstrate their knowledge and skills.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have created a positive and inclusive learning environment. Trainees have opportunities during induction and at various points during their apprenticeship to disclose special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and other barriers to learning. They discuss their needs regularly with tutors and mentors during progress reviews.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and managers demonstrate a clear commitment to equality and diversity. They attend recruitment fairs organised by the local authority and internal college events to promote opportunities to undertake teacher training.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Tutors provide appropriate support to trainees with SEND and other barriers to learning. They make reasonable adjustments to make sure that these trainees are able to learn and make the progress of which they are capable. However, tutors do not consistently and systematically evaluate trainees' progress against specific targets in order to reduce support where appropriate.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Tutors complete suitable training on SEND and other barriers to learning. They apply what they learn about confidently when teaching trainees who need adaptations. For example, trainees with dyslexia benefit from additional tutorials, strategies such as breaking content down into simple terms, scaffolding and additional time for assignment writing. Trainees teach their own learners with SEND and other barriers well using the same strategies modelled by their tutors.

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Leadership Expected standard

Leaders have a clear vision for their curriculum. They have invested well in developing their own cohort of teachers in key vocational areas where there are skills shortages, such as engineering. They provide flexible routes and different entry points in the academic year to suit trainees' individual circumstances.

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Leadership Expected standard

Managers have a suitable improvement plan in place. They review this regularly through the college's committee structure and management meetings. They recognise the need to ensure greater consistency across campuses and the adaptations that they need to make to their assessment plan to support trainees to manage their workload and study commitments.

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Leadership Expected standard

Governors have substantial experience of education and leadership. They use helpful information to scrutinise the quality of the curriculum. They challenge leaders effectively to support ongoing curriculum improvements.

p.3

Leadership Expected standard

Leaders provide tutors with a carefully considered programme of professional learning. Tutors undertake training in observation and feedback, curriculum design principles and artificial intelligence. They complete back-to-industry days to update their skills and attend an education technology exhibition. Consequently, trainees benefit from a curriculum that is current and relevant. Tutors and curriculum managers work closely together to provide effective formal and informal support to trainees. They meet regularly to discuss progress, put appropriate improvement interventions in place and find swift solutions to challenges that trainees experience.

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Leadership Expected standard

Leaders promote a positive and safe culture. Staff do not experience incidents of bullying, harassment, victimisation or discrimination.

p.4

Leadership Expected standard

Leaders complete appropriate suitability checks, such as qualification and identity verification prior to enrolling trainees on their programme.

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Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Managers, tutors and mentors set high expectations for trainees' professional behaviours. For example, trainees who have previously worked in trades professions improve the ways in which they communicate with and relate to the young learners who they teach.

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Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Trainees demonstrate a sound commitment to their professional development. They participate enthusiastically in lessons, enjoy learning from each other and are highly motivated to improve their skills. Attendance is high across campuses.

p.4

Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Trainees often experience challenges when managing their teaching timetables and their study commitments. In these instances, trainees feel overwhelmed. Tutors take appropriate actions to provide support through, for example, extended deadlines.

p.4

Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Trainees regularly attend industry events, national conferences and departmental activities, including team meetings and professional development sessions. This helps them to develop their understanding of the further education and skills sector. Trainees learn about new topics, such as emerging technologies, and apply them in their teaching.

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Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders have invested well in a broad range of resources that help trainees stay mentally healthy. Trainees have access to support for issues such as coping with change and managing stress and anxiety.

p.4

Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Trainees have not experienced any incidents of bullying, victimisation, harassment or discrimination.

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Next steps

Leaders should adapt their assessment strategy to make sure that trainees do not experience undue burden when balancing their teaching workload and study commitments.

p.5

Next steps

Leaders should further refine their approaches to inclusive support by routinely and consistently reviewing the support they provide to trainees with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other barriers.

p.5

Next steps

Leaders should ensure that staff provide effective support to help trainees at all campuses to manage young learners' behaviours.

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What it's like to be a trainee at this provider

Trainees benefit from a structured curriculum that integrates teaching theory with practical application. Reflective practice, developmental feedback, target setting and frequent reviews of progress are core components of trainees' apprenticeship training. By the end of their apprenticeship, trainees are prepared well for teaching in the further education and skills sector.

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What it's like to be a trainee at this provider

Trainees benefit from well-developed systems of support from tutors, mentors, peers, managers and leaders in learning. They speak consistently positively about the ways in which those involved with their training have supported them to develop their skills to higher levels.

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What it's like to be a trainee at this provider

Trainees grow in confidence through their apprenticeship. On completion, they take on additional new roles and responsibilities. For example, they assume departmental course leadership roles, expand the number of tutor groups and levels they are responsible for and progress from technician to teacher roles. Trainees have high aspirations for their continued professional development.

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What it's like to be a trainee at this provider

Trainees develop their knowledge of how to support students with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other challenges to their learning. They study a module early on in their apprenticeship that focuses on the barriers to learning such additional needs create. They learn helpful strategies, including how to make reasonable adjustments and work alongside learning support assistants, and how to use an education, health and care plan.

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What it's like to be a trainee at this provider

Trainees enjoy using their independent research skills to carry out an action research project in the second year of their apprenticeship. They undertake projects in areas such as using immersive technology and artificial intelligence. They are highly motivated and keen to share their research with each other.

p.5

What it's like to be a trainee at this provider

Trainees enjoy learning about digital pedagogy. They are keen to experiment with the online learning tools that their tutors use. For example, in construction, trainees use virtual reality to teach their students about working at height in a safe learning environment.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other providers can learn from it.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty's Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with leaders, managers, governors, mentors, lead mentors, tutors, trainees and ex-trainees during the inspection.

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About this inspection

Harrow, Richmond and Uxbridge College is a large general further education college in the London borough of Hillingdon. It has five main campuses. The initial teacher education trainees who were in scope for this inspection study the level 5 learning and skills teacher apprenticeship, which is taught at the Richmond and Uxbridge sites.

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About this inspection

At the time of the inspection, there were 33 apprentices who are all employed by the college.

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Strong standard

The provider reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The provider is fulfilling the expected standard of training. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The provider needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of training.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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

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