Setting

Ofsted and the ALI have particular duties in relation to colleges where their inspection report indicates that individual curriculum and/or work-based learning (WBL) areas are unsatisfactory or very weak or that leadership and management are unsatisfactory or very weak. Where a college has been judged to have less than satisfactory provision in any curriculum or WBL area, or less than satisfactory leadership and management, Ofsted or the ALI will visit the college to carry out monitoring inspections of the unsatisfactory areas. As a result of the re-inspection monitoring visits, inspectors may judge that the curriculum or WBL areas, or leadership and management are satisfactory and that no further visits are required. Where leadership and management are satisfactory, all unsatisfactory provision will be re-inspected normally during one week.

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Outcome of Re-Inspection

The overall provision in the curriculum area hairdressing and beauty therapy is now satisfactory.

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Background

Kingston College was inspected in February 2002. Inspectors from the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) and the Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) carried out the inspection under Section 62 of the Learning and Skills Act. The quality of provision was found to be satisfactory in all areas inspected, except in hairdressing and beauty therapy which was found to be unsatisfactory.

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Background

If, after approximately 24 months, the college has not made sufficient progress to justify a judgement that the curriculum or WBL area or leadership and management are satisfactory, the original grade for the area that continues to be unsatisfactory will remain on the college's record until the next full inspection within the cycle. Ofsted will inform the local LSC that provision remains unsatisfactory and the reasons why.

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Date of the Re-Inspection Monitoring Visits

In accordance with the above procedures, re-inspection monitoring visits of hairdressing and beauty therapy, took place on 15 to 16 October 2002, 6 to 7 March 2003 and 11 to 12 December 2003.

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Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy

In the February 2002 inspection, the quality of overall provision in this area was judged to be unsatisfactory. The following strengths and weaknesses were identified in the inspection report:

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Strengths

• high retention and pass rates on part-time beauty therapy courses

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Strengths

• effective monitoring of beauty therapy students' progress

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Strengths

• wide range of complementary studies for students.

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Weaknesses

• low pass rates on NVQ level 2 courses in hairdressing

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Weaknesses

• unsuitable specialist accommodation and resources

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Weaknesses

• poor management of hairdressing and beauty therapy courses

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Weaknesses

• insufficiently thorough quality assurance

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Weaknesses

• students' poor attendance and lack of punctuality on NVQ courses.

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Weaknesses

Following the re-inspection monitoring visits, inspectors judged that progress has been made in addressing the above weaknesses and that overall provision in this area is now satisfactory.

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Weaknesses

Teaching is satisfactory overall. On the final visit, there was a good proportion of lessons graded good. The percentage of satisfactory or better teaching is just above the national average, but no very good or excellent teaching was seen. There has been a notable improvement in pass rates on almost all courses. The monitoring of students' attendance is leading to some improved punctuality, and attendance problems are promptly addressed. However, during the final re-inspection monitoring visit, attendance was low at only 70%. The new management structure is effective and the head of curriculum has developed the hairdressing and beauty therapy area to a satisfactory standard. There has been a satisfactory improvement in quality assurance procedures, including, for example, lesson observations and course reviews. The new building provides some excellent facilities. However, some refurbished rooms in the original area remain too small for the number of

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Weaknesses

students in the classes and there are sometimes insufficient facilities available for a whole class to participate in practical sessions.

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Weaknesses

There will be no further monitoring visits to the college because there are no remaining unsatisfactory areas.

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Weaknesses

commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated. Inspection reports are available on the Ofsted web site (www.ofsted.gov.uk).

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