Chichester College

Audience Post-sixteen Published date April 2008 Provider reference 130843 Provider reference 130843

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Published date April 2008 Chichester College Inspection report

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Contents

Key strengths and areas for improvement 7

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Grading

Inspectors use a four-point scale to summarise their judgements about achievement and standards, the quality of provision, and leadership and management, which includes a grade for equality of opportunity.

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Grading

The descriptors for the four grades are: • grade 1 – outstanding • grade 2 – good • grade 3 – satisfactory • grade 4 – inadequate

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Grading

Further information can be found on how inspection judgements are made at www.ofsted.gov.uk .

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Scope of the inspection

In deciding the scope of this inspection, inspectors took account of: the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans; comments from the local Learning and Skills Council (LSC) or other funding body; and where appropriate the previous inspection report ( www.ofsted.gov.uk ); reports from the inspectorate annual assessment visits or quality monitoring inspection; and data on learners and their achievement over the period since the last inspection. This inspection focused on the following aspects:

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Scope of the inspection

 overall effectiveness of the organisation and its capacity to improve further  achievement and standards  quality of provision  leadership and management.

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Description of the provider

1. Chichester College is a large general further education college (GFE), located in the south-west of West Sussex. The main campus is on the edge of Chichester. In 2002, the college merged with Brinsbury College, a former specialist land- based college, which has now diversified into other curriculum areas, such as hairdressing and motor vehicle. There are outreach centres in Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, and the college supports a vocational skills centre on the site of Bognor Regis Community College. The college’s mission is to be world class.

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Description of the provider

2. The area around Chichester is generally affluent, but a few areas served by the college are considerably less prosperous, particularly along the coast to the south of the city. The main employment sectors are retail, manufacturing, education and health services. The proportion of school leavers in West Sussex with five or more GCSEs at A* to C, including maths and English, is above the national average. In 2006/07, 4.5% of the economically active population was unemployed, just above the average for the south-east as a whole.

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Description of the provider

3. Chichester College offers programmes in all 15 sector subject areas (SSAs) to 3,600 full-time learners aged 16-18, and to 4,673 adult learners. The largest curriculum areas by total learner numbers are health, public services and care; information and communication technology (ICT); retail and commercial services; arts, media and publishing; and preparation for life and work. The proportion of learners from minority ethnic backgrounds is small, but higher than for the local population as a whole. The difference is due to the significant recruitment of international learners who attend the college to study further and higher education courses. In 2006/07, more than 2,500 overseas learners enrolled at the college.

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Description of the provider

4. The college also holds large contracts for work-based learning apprenticeships and Train to Gain, particularly in health and care, land-based studies, engineering, construction, retail and commercial, and business. Over 1,000 learners aged 14-16 who are at school attend vocational courses at the college’s two campuses. The college provides personal and community development learning to over 900 learners.

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Description of the provider

5. Chichester College has six Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) with a range of partners in care, construction, rural business, horticulture, sport and tourism. In 2005, the college gained the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in recognition of its international work. It has been accredited recently with the New Standard for employer responsiveness.

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Leadership and management Good: Grade 2

Equality of opportunity Good: Contributory Grade 2

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Effectiveness of provision Good: Grade 2

6. Chichester College is a good college with good capacity to improve, which is working well to meet the needs of its community. Achievement and standards are satisfactory. Learners develop good personal and practical skills. Success rates for adult learners at level 1 are high and are consistently above national averages. They are broadly average or just above national averages for learners aged 16-18 and adults at all other levels. Success rates are high in some curriculum areas, such as arts, media and publishing and languages but there is too much variation in success rates across the range of the college’s work. Retention rates are satisfactory in many areas of the college. Success rates for apprentices in work-based learning are poor, but have improved in 2007/08 to date. They are good for Train to Gain learners. Progression rates and success rates for learners aged 14-16 are good.

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Effectiveness of provision Good: Grade 2

7. The quality of provision is good. Teaching and learning have improved since the previous inspection and are good. The lesson observation process provides a generally reliable view of the quality of lessons, but the quality assurance of the process in some areas is insufficient. The identification and provision of additional learning support are good. Target-setting to improve achievement and to extend learners is weak.

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Effectiveness of provision Good: Grade 2

8. The extent to which the college meets the needs and interests of learners, employers and the local community is outstanding. Partnership working is very strong and employer engagement is excellent. The college’s approach to educational and social inclusion is outstanding. The range of courses is very good with clear entry and progression routes. The college targets many under represented groups of learners through its responsive and successful community work.

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Effectiveness of provision Good: Grade 2

9. Guidance and support are good, in particular the personal support that learners receive. Tutorials are effective overall but student tutors give insufficient attention to the monitoring of learners’ progress in some parts of the college.

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Effectiveness of provision Good: Grade 2

10. Leadership and management are good. Senior managers and the governing body set a clear and inclusive strategic direction for the college, which is responsive to learners’, employers’ and staff needs. The college has a significant number of successful partnerships and is innovative and well respected. The college embeds and promotes equality of opportunity well. Quality improvement strategies have improved significantly in 2007/08 and are now good, but are not yet fully effective in a few areas of the provision. The self-assessment process is good. Performance management has improved significantly in 2007/08 following the fall in success rates last year.

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Capacity to improve Good: Grade 2

11. The college’s capacity to improve is good. Managers are committed to re- establishing the positive trend in success rates up until 2005/06 and have implemented a number of strategies which are starting to improve performance again in 2007/08. These actions are already having a positive effect on attendance and retention rates. The appointment of heads of studies has brought a more consistent approach to many areas of the provision. The self- assessment process is good. The most recent report identifies key strengths and areas for improvement accurately but the grades for a small number of areas do not always reflect that diagnosis, and in particular the effect of some poor performance. Managers are open, accepting and self-critical in identifying areas for improvement. College plans are consistent with local LSC objectives and are fully supported by the LSC, partners and employers.

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improvement since the last inspection

12. The college has made satisfactory progress in rectifying the areas for improvement noted in the last inspection report. Overall success rates improved significantly in 2005/06 to be above national averages for many learners, but have fallen in 2006/07. Teaching and learning are now good and leadership and management remain good. The college has not resolved fully some of the key areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection.

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Key strengths

 learners’ good personal and practical skills  high success rates in retail and commercial enterprise; arts, media and publishing; languages; and preparation for life and work  high success rates for Train to Gain  strong focus on improving teaching and learning  good additional learning and specialist support  outstanding range of provision  outstanding educational and social inclusion  good pastoral support for learners  clear vision and strategy for the college  good governance and financial management  college’s role in its community and the very strong partnerships.

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The college should address:

 retention rates  the poor overall and timely success rates for apprenticeships  the variation in success rates across the range of the college’s work and the low success rates in construction, engineering and ICT  the quality assurance of the lesson observation process  target-setting and reviewing of learners’ progress  aspects of quality improvement.

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Contributory grades:

Work-based learning Inadequate: Grade 4 Train to Gain Good: Grade 2 Learners aged 14-16 Good: Grade 2

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Contributory grades:

13. Learners’ achievement and standards overall are satisfactory, but good in Train to Gain and for learners aged 14-16. They are inadequate for work-based learners. This does not reflect accurately the more optimistic self-assessment judgement of the college. At the time of the last inspection, success rates for most learners on long courses were above average. There was a decline in performance in 2003/04, but then a considerable improvement between 2004/05 and 2005/06 when success rates in significant areas of the college’s work were above average, particularly at level 1. Since then, the rate of progress has declined so that success rates for 2006/07 are broadly satisfactory.

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Contributory grades:

14. Unvalidated college data indicate that success rates for adult learners were high on level 1 courses in 2006/07 and for the preceding two years. They represent approximately one third of the total adult learners on long courses. Success rates were around the national average for this age group at levels 2 and 3. Success rates for learners aged 16-18 were at, or slightly above, the national average in 2006/07. There is too much variation in success rates across the range of the college’s work in different curriculum areas. Success rates for Train to Gain have improved significantly over the last year and are now high. Similarly, apprenticeship success rates were low in 2006/07 and although they have improved this year, they are still below the national average for most apprentices. Not enough learners achieve their framework within the planned timescale. Progression rates and success rates for the large numbers of 14-16

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Contributory grades:

15. Learners enjoy their studies and make satisfactory progress. They develop good personal and practical skills. They demonstrate high levels of maturity and respect in lessons. The standard of their work is generally satisfactory. Attendance rates are satisfactory as are key skills success rates, which have improved significantly to 60% in 2006/07.

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Contributory grades:

Work-based learning Satisfactory: Grade 3

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Contributory grades:

16. The quality of provision is good overall, but satisfactory for work-based learners. The college’s self assessment identifies these differences. Teaching and learning are good overall, but training is satisfactory for work-based and Train to Gain learners. The summary of lesson observations carried out by the college in 2006/07 and 2007/08 shows a significant proportion of lessons that are good or better, which is an improvement since the last inspection. The college has a strong focus on teaching and learning and inspectors had sufficient confidence in the accuracy and reliability of the observations in most curriculum areas. The quality assurance of the lesson observation process is weak in some parts of the college. Some observers do not focus sufficiently on learning or on the judgements to support outstanding classes. The ‘Chichester Learning Model’ provides a rigorous structure for the planning and observation

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Contributory grades:

of lessons, with structured support for those tutors who receive satisfactory or inadequate grades. Curriculum teams and observers share good practice regularly and take part in well planned professional development sessions to improve teaching.

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Contributory grades:

17. Lesson planning is good. In the better classes, tutors stimulate learners’ interest through a range of imaginative activities. Learners are confident and are very willing to contribute to discussions and to ask questions. The use of interactive learning technology (ILT) is good in many lessons and helps learners to extend their learning. The use of question and answer techniques to check understanding and to involve all learners is an area for improvement in some classes.

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Contributory grades:

18. The identification and provision for additional learning needs are good. The provision of this support is both timely and effective and learners report high levels of satisfaction with the support they receive. The individual support sessions are relevant to learners’ needs and the subjects they are studying.

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Contributory grades:

19. The suitability and rigour of assessments are satisfactory. Some learners receive very detailed feedback on how to improve their assessments, but on other courses there is little encouragement and advice on how to improve. Target- setting for learners is not yet sufficiently rigorous and challenging. The college is aware of this area for improvement and is carrying out audits to identify areas for further staff training. The use of motivational targets to challenge more able learners and to improve value added is at a very early stage of development.

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Contributory grades:

20. The college’s response to meeting the needs and interests of learners is outstanding, as is its educational and social inclusion. The college offers an extensive range of provision across all levels and subjects. Entry and progression routes are clear. Managers use a wide range of data very well to develop the provision. The responsiveness to employers’ training needs is excellent. Employers have access to a wide range of general and specialised courses. College managers take a leading role in local and area initiatives to integrate pre- and post-16 education and training. The six CoVEs enable the college to develop very good specialist resources and employer links.

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Contributory grades:

21. The college has a very successful programme for pupils aged 14-16 from a wide range of local schools. More than 1,000 school pupils study at the college each year on an extensive variety of courses. The college delivers much of this curriculum through successful strategies to diversify the provision at the Brinsbury campus. 22. Learners participate well in the wide enrichment programme. Activities link well with the Every Child Matters themes. Many programmes incorporate a rich variety of external speakers and course-related visits to enhance the curriculum successfully. The college has revised its key skills strategy, but this does not meet the needs of employers and higher education for learners with low GCSE results. The college does not have a formal strategy for gifted and talented learners to challenge and improve the performance of its more able learners.

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Contributory grades:

23. The college’s provision for the advice, guidance and support for learners is good. Induction arrangements are thorough. Pastoral and welfare support for all learners is good. The college has excellent residential facilities for learners. The student centre brings all support services together successfully in a very prominent location in the college. Particularly good support is available for learners with mental health issues and learners with disabilities. Learners receive appropriate careers advice and guidance, but the college has identified the need through self-assessment to integrate curriculum-based careers guidance and work experience with the central students’ services.

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Contributory grades:

24. The college has introduced a new system of student tutors in 2007/08. They monitor learners’ attendance, punctuality and behaviour closely. Group tutorials are good. Some individual tutorials are less effective, as are the arrangements for the remainder of the group during one-to-one tutorial sessions. Some tutors do not use feedback from a wide range of sources sufficiently to review learners’ progress thoroughly.

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Contributory grades:

Equality of opportunity Good: Grade 2 Work-based learning Satisfactory: Grade 3

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Contributory grades:

25. Leadership and management are good. The college self-assessment report judged leadership and management to be outstanding. Overall, college success rates improved in 2005/06 to be above the national average, but they fell in 2006/07 to be around the national rate for most age groups and levels. Senior managers and governors set a clear and inclusive strategic direction for the college. Governors are very knowledgeable about the college and external influences which determine change. After extensive consultation with staff and learners, the college has developed a set of clear core values to underpin its operations and strategies.

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Contributory grades:

26. The college has a significant number of successful collaborative partnerships in and beyond Sussex. It is innovative and well respected for its commitment to new initiatives. The college is one of the first to gain the New Standard for employer responsiveness. It has experienced significant levels of growth in recent years and continues to diversify its target markets very effectively.

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Contributory grades:

27. Internal communications are strong. The college has made exceptionally good use of its ‘learner voice’ strategies to improve communications and to involve learners in assessing teaching and learning. The recent management restructure has improved communications among curriculum leaders and enabled heads of studies to rectify some areas for improvement across particular types of qualifications. The college plans staff development well to improve teaching and learning.

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Contributory grades:

28. Equality of opportunity is good. The response of the college to child protection legislation, gender and equality requirements and the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2002 is good. The college welcomes learners from a very wide range of backgrounds and has extensive provision for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The effective integration of large numbers of international learners helps to raise awareness of cultural diversity. The monitoring of success rates for different groups of learners is under developed in some curriculum areas.

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Contributory grades:

29. Most accommodation and learning resources are good. The college has refurbished the entrance to the Chichester site to a high standard and improved the Brinsbury campus since the previous inspection. However, some classrooms are old and congested. Learners have access to high quality specialist resources. Financial management is strong and the college provides good value for money.

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Contributory grades:

30. Quality assurance arrangements are improving and are now good. Overall curriculum target-setting is improving and managers now have much better access to reliable data. Performance management has improved in the new management structure and attendance, retention and achievement meetings provide a useful focus for monitoring in-year data and trends. Some lesson observation reports are not sufficiently rigorous. Target-setting for individual managers to improve their own performance varies too much across the college.

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Table 1

Success rates on mainstream level 1 qualifications, by qualification type, expected end year and age 2005 to 2007, compared to the national rates for colleges of a similar type.

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Table 1

16-18 19+ Notional Level Exp End Year Starts – Transfers College Rate National Rate Diff Starts – Transfers College Rate National Rate Diff 1 Long 04/05 1099 58 65 -7 1293 68 62 6 05/06 2077 76 69 7 2252 72 65 7 06/07 1973 69 1729 71 04/05 2 50 68 -18 ... ... ... ... GNVQs and precursors 05/06 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 06/07 NVQs 04/05 130 79 68 11 47 81 66 15 05/06 87 54 72 -18 81 70 74 -4 06/07 109 73 80 80 Other 04/05 967 55 64 -9 1246 67 62 5 05/06 1990 77 69 8 2171 73 65 8 06/07 1864 69 1649 71

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Table 2

Success rates on mainstream level 2 qualifications, by qualification type, expected end year and age 2005 to 2007, compared to the national rates for colleges of a similar type.

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Table 2

16-18 19+ Notional Level Exp End Year Starts – Transfers College Rate National Rate Diff Starts – Transfers College Rate National Rate Diff 2 Long 04/05 1506 57 61 -4 1442 55 60 -5 05/06 1797 68 66 2 1875 66 66 0 06/07 1939 71 1938 67 GCSEs 04/05 220 69 64 5 99 69 63 6 05/06 243 69 68 1 82 82 67 15 06/07 316 72 97 84 04/05 133 69 67 2 37 76 75 1 GNVQs and precursors 05/06 150 77 69 8 45 76 68 8 06/07 118 75 32 84 NVQs 04/05 357 53 57 -4 405 55 60 -5 05/06 392 68 65 3 449 68 67 1 06/07 498 66 383 70 Other 04/05 796 54 61 -7 901 52 59 -7 05/06 1012 66 66 0 1299 64 65 -1 06/07 1007 73 1426 64

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Table 3

Success rates on mainstream level 3 qualifications, by qualification type, expected end year and age 2005 to 2007, compared to the national rates for colleges of a similar type.

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Table 3

16-18 19+ Notional Level Exp End Year Starts – Transfers College Rate National Rate Diff Starts – Transfers College Rate National Rate Diff 3 Long 04/05 2568 66 68 -2 1376 66 58 8 05/06 2585 69 70 -1 1263 67 63 4 06/07 2710 73 1481 65 04/05 434 83 86 -3 90 81 69 12 A/A2 Levels 05/06 482 86 87 -1 121 83 72 11 06/07 468 91 94 87 AS Levels 04/05 1116 65 66 -1 156 68 52 16 05/06 1120 65 67 -2 99 66 55 11 06/07 1249 69 119 56 04/05 101 46 61 -15 GNVQs and precursors 05/06 39 54 66 -12 06/07 NVQs 04/05 51 82 63 19 237 59 56 3 05/06 75 75 71 4 322 62 63 -1 06/07 91 73 538 62 Other 04/05 866 59 60 -1 877 66 59 7 05/06 869 64 65 -1 708 67 64 3 06/07 902 68 730 66

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Table 3

College data for 2006/07 has yet to be validated for Tables 1, 2 and 3. Course areas with low numbers have been omitted from the table for the benefit of clarity.

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Table 4

Success rates on work-based learning programmes managed by the college 2005 to 2007.

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Table 4

Programme End Year Success Rate No, of learners * College NVQ rate ** National NVQ rate ** College framework rate ** National framework rate ** overall 56 45 48 29 34 04/05 timely 56 38 31 23 22 overall 45 40 53 31 44 05/06 timely 54 28 34 19 27 overall 84 55 64 42 58 Advanced Apprenticeships

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Table 4

06/07 timely 82 46 43 37 37 overall 158 61 51 42 39 04/05 timely 161 19 29 14 22 overall 182 66 58 57 52 05/06 timely 188 35 38 27 34 overall 312 58 65 54 61 Apprenticeships

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Table 4

06/07 timely 269 42 47 39 44 overall ... ... ... ... ... 04/05 timely ... ... ... ... ... overall ... ... ... ... ... 05/06 timely ... ... ... ... ... overall 33 45 ... ... ... Adult training (long courses) ***

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Table 4

* Learners who leave later than originally planned are counted in the year they actually leave. This group of learners are then added to the learners who planned to complete in a given year and did so or left earlier than planned ** College and national qualification success rates are calculated using LSC published data derived from the ‘Individual Learning Record’ *** Adult training (long courses) includes ‘Train to Gain’ provision, but not ‘Skills for Life’

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Table 4

Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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