West Nottinghamshire College

Audience Post-sixteen Published date July 2008 Provider reference 130777 Provider reference 130777

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Published date July 2008 West Nottinghamshire 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); and where appropriate the previous inspection report ( www.ofsted.gov.uk ); reports from the inspectorate annual assessment visits; 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. West Nottinghamshire College is a large general further education (FE) college which has two main campuses in Mansfield and a further seven smaller sites within the Mansfield and Ashfield area, including a new centre for construction and logistics in Kirkby-in-Ashfield. The college also has four community learning centres and works within more than 100 other local community venues.

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Description of the provider

2. The college primarily serves the districts of Mansfield and Ashfield and the M1 corridor linking Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, a predominantly urban area which includes an area of new business development along the Mansfield and Ashfield Regeneration Route but also districts of significant deprivation. The local unemployment rate of 6% is higher than the national average. The percentage of pupils gaining at least five GCSE passes at A* to C, including mathematics and English, in Mansfield is significantly below the national average. Some 8% of learners are of minority ethnic heritage, compared with 4% of people from such backgrounds in the local community.

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Description of the provider

3. The college provides courses in all sector subject areas. Learner numbers are highest in preparation for life and work, engineering and manufacturing technologies and in health, public services and care. Qualification levels range from pre-entry level to higher education (HE). The college provides apprenticeship programmes to around 570 work-based learners. Part-time courses for 579 young people aged 14 to 16 are offered in collaboration with 28 local schools.

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Description of the provider

4. There are currently 18,918 learners enrolled at the college. Some 80% of these are adults and nearly two thirds are male. Most learners aged 16 to 18 follow full-time courses and most adult learners follow part-time courses. There is a fairly even split in the number of enrolments between levels 1, 2 and 3. The college has Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) status for engineering and is a partner in CoVEs in construction, logistics and care. The college’s vision is ‘a dynamic college for aspiring communities’ and its mission is: ‘Learners at the heart of excellence’.

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Leadership and management Outstanding: Grade 1

Equality of opportunity Outstanding: contributory grade 1

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Effectiveness of provision Outstanding: Grade 1

5. The college assessed the effectiveness of its provision as outstanding and inspectors agree. Although many learners join the college with low aspirations, achievement and standards are outstanding on courses at all levels and for learners of all ages. Progression between courses within the college is very good but progression to higher education is low. Teaching and learning are good. Assessment is rigorous but is not yet used to full effect in planning and developing learning. The college provides an outstanding range of courses which are well matched to the needs of individual learners and the development needs of the local economy. Employer engagement is outstanding. The college’s response to educational and social inclusion is imaginative and highly effective. Care, guidance and support arrangements are outstanding. Learners are articulate and passionate in their support of the college.

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Effectiveness of provision Outstanding: Grade 1

6. Leadership and management are outstanding. The principal provides excellent leadership and is supported by a strong and capable senior management team. The college’s outstanding commitment to equality and diversity is reflected in all aspects of college life. The college has developed an excellent range of partnerships which help it to meet national priorities and local needs. Curriculum management is good but the use of data on learners’ progress, compared with their prior attainment in monitoring and analysing progress and performance, is underdeveloped. Self-assessment is rigorous and accurate. Accommodation at the Derby Road site is dated but well maintained. Governance and financial management are outstanding. Value for money is outstanding.

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Capacity to improve Outstanding: Grade 1

7. The college demonstrates outstanding capacity to improve. Success rates have improved to well above the national average. The college sets appropriate institutional targets which it nearly always meets and frequently exceeds. The principal provides excellent leadership. Morale throughout the college is high. Curriculum management is good. College planning procedures are rigorous. Quality assurance is excellent. Self-assessment is rigorous and accurate. Teaching and support staff have excellent opportunities to improve their professional skills. Accommodation is satisfactory but resources are good. Financial management is outstanding.

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improvement since the last inspection

8. The college has made outstanding progress in addressing the areas for improvement identified at the last inspection. Work-based learning success rates have improved significantly. Key skills success rates have also improved and are now excellent. Retention rates on courses at level 3 have improved significantly and are now high. Teaching and learning have improved. The college’s lesson observation system identifies accurately the strengths and areas for improvement in lessons.

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Key strengths

 high success rates  highly effective employer engagement  imaginative and highly effective approach to educational and social inclusion  outstanding support and guidance  excellent leadership  outstanding response to equality and diversity  excellent partnership arrangements which help meet national priorities and local needs  outstanding governance and financial management.

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The college should address:

 the proportion of learners who progress to HE  the use of assessment in planning and developing learning  the use of data on learners’ progress, compared with their prior attainment in monitoring and analysing progress and performance  accommodation at the Derby Road site.

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Achievement and standards Outstanding: Grade 1

9. Achievement and standards are outstanding. This agrees with the college’s own assessment. Success rates for learners of all ages and at all levels have improved significantly since the last inspection and are now well above the most recent national averages. This improvement in success rates has been remarkably consistent across different sector subject areas and for all groups of learners, despite the significant deprivation that many of them have experienced in their lives. Learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make excellent progress both in terms of the success rates they achieve and the personal and social skills they gain. Success rates for learners aged 14 to 16 are outstanding at 96% and the majority of these younger learners progress to higher level courses at the college. Progression rates within the college are very good but senior managers are aware that the number of learners who progress

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Achievement and standards Outstanding: Grade 1

from the college to HE, although improving, is low and are introducing a range of measures to raise the aspirations of learners.

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Achievement and standards Outstanding: Grade 1

10. Key skills success rates have also improved and are now excellent. In 2006/07 the overall success rate was 73%, some 30% above the national average. Success rates in work-based learning are excellent, both in terms of the number of full frameworks completed and those successfully completed within the agreed time. Successful outcomes on the college’s Train to Gain programme are also very high.

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Achievement and standards Outstanding: Grade 1

11. The high quality of learners’ work is a strong feature and the college is justifiably proud of the achievement of its learners. Success is widely promoted and celebrated and the many attractive displays of work throughout the college provide a good demonstration of how much learners enjoy their work as well as being a source of inspiration to others. Attendance has improved and is satisfactory.

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Quality of provision Outstanding: Grade 1

12. The quality of provision is outstanding which agrees with the college’s own judgement. Teaching and learning are good. The college’s teaching and learning strategy is well considered and underpinned by excellent arrangements for developing the skills of teachers. The lesson observation system provides a detailed assessment of the strengths and areas for improvement in individual lessons, although inspectors did not observe such a high proportion of outstanding lessons as claimed by the college and saw greater variations in the quality of teaching and learning.

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Quality of provision Outstanding: Grade 1

13. Teachers use a good variety of strategies to ensure that learners are engaged in their learning and work productively. Teachers are particularly good at helping learners to develop the occupational competence they need to gain employment or improve performance and promotion prospects in their existing jobs. In most lessons, teachers have a good understanding of the learning needs of individual learners and sometimes translate this into lessons which provide different tasks matched to the ability and learning styles of learners. In a significant minority of lessons, teachers demonstrate their commitment to differentiating learning outcomes in this way but in practice do not provide the activities to achieve it. Teachers are making increasingly effective use of the good information and learning technology (ILT) resources available to enrich their teaching.

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Quality of provision Outstanding: Grade 1

14. Assessment is thorough, accurate and fair. Assignments are marked promptly and the quality of most feedback to learners is good, providing them with useful guidance on how their standards could be improved. The use of assessment to plan teaching and learning is underdeveloped and on a few courses, particularly at level 3, this hampers progress.

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Quality of provision Outstanding: Grade 1

15. The college is outstanding at identifying and meeting the needs of a broad range of learners. The rich and varied curriculum is well matched to local needs and is provided through a variety of venues in the Mansfield and Ashfield districts. The curriculum provides learners with very good opportunities to progress. Provision for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, both in the college and at the imaginative ‘Bay 6’ centre, is excellent. Key skills are well integrated into each curriculum area and success rates have improved dramatically. Numerous activities enrich the curriculum, although the opportunities for learners to take part in sporting activities or join college teams are insufficient. Partnership working with local schools is strong. The programme for young people aged 14 to 16 is extremely effective and schools say that it is having a major impact on improving achievement at Key Stage 4.

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Quality of provision Outstanding: Grade 1

16. The college’s response to educational and social inclusion is outstanding. Courses are offered in a large number of venues in the community and over two thirds of those attending a course in the community progress to another course at the college. The Ashfield campus, which caters exclusively for learners who did not succeed at school, is an excellent example of the college’s imaginative and highly effective response to community needs. Employer engagement is outstanding. The college has a strong presence on local planning groups and plays a significant role in improving the skills base in the community. The college also responds well to government initiatives; for example, the college is the most successful provider of Train to Gain in the area, and has secured recent significant growth in learner numbers on the programme.

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Quality of provision Outstanding: Grade 1

17. Guidance and support are outstanding. Support for the large number of learners with disabilities is particularly good and these learners are well integrated into college life. Initial assessment accurately identifies learners’ additional learning needs. These needs are met effectively and lead to improved retention and achievement. Excellent specialist support is available through contacts with a wide variety of external agencies. Learners benefit from highly effective initial advice and guidance. Course information is clear and accessible and procedures to ensure that learners enrol on the right course are secure. College induction is used well to introduce learners to the range of support and guidance available to them. Learners receive sound advice on applying for HE and employment.

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Quality of provision Outstanding: Grade 1

18. Support from tutors and teachers is outstanding. Regular tutorials are used to set and monitor targets for individual learners. Personal tutors are highly skilled and effective at using targets and action plans to raise achievement. The views of learners are taken extremely seriously by college managers and there are numerous good opportunities for their voice to be heard. These are used effectively to improve general college facilities and inform curriculum developments.

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Contributory grade:

Equality of opportunity Outstanding: grade 1

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Contributory grade:

19. Leadership and management are outstanding and this agrees with the college’s self-assessment. The principal provides visionary leadership and is well supported by a strong and capable senior management team. This combination has contributed significantly to the sustained improvement which the college has achieved. The college has successfully addressed all the areas for improvement identified at the last inspection and meets or exceeds the majority of its performance targets. The college’s achievement is underpinned by a clear, shared purpose, comprehensive planning and the highly effective use of strategic partnerships. Communication within the college is excellent and staff morale is high. The management of work-based learning is good.

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Contributory grade:

20. Curriculum management is good. The college has successfully developed a culture where managers have the autonomy to run their areas whilst being held to account for their performance. It supports this with an effective management development programme. Management information is accurate and is well used to aid improvement planning. However, the use of data on learners’ progress, compared with their prior attainment to analyse progress and target improvements in performance, has not been developed sufficiently.

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Contributory grade:

21. There are excellent arrangements for curriculum quality assurance which include well developed procedures for peer review. Performance management, including the appraisal of teachers, is rigorous. Self-assessment is well established and the key judgements in the self-assessment report are accurate.

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Contributory grade:

22. The promotion and reinforcement of equality and diversity are outstanding. The college has been particularly successful in attracting learners who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and those who have been less successful in their prior education. The college makes an effective response to the requirements of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 and the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2002 (SENDA). The college analyses the performance of different groups of learners rigorously and ensures that any issues are dealt with in detail in its development planning. Action on meeting standards under child protection legislation is very good, as is attention to the health and safety of learners.

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Contributory grade:

23. Most teachers are appropriately qualified and experienced. Accommodation is satisfactory. Accommodation at Derby Road is dated but well maintained. The college’s plans to replace this accommodation are well advanced. The new centre in Kirkby-in-Ashfield provides outstanding accommodation for construction and logistics. Specialist resources are good. Governance is outstanding. Governors are extremely supportive of the college and provide a good level of challenge to managers and hold the college to account for its performance. Financial management and control are excellent. The college provides outstanding value for money.

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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

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Table 1

1 Long 04/05 1087 77 69 8 1386 73 58 15 05/06 1311 71 69 2 1075 75 65 10 06/07 1340 80 * * 708 77 * * 04/05 9 78 72 6 1 0 65 -65 05/06 ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** GNVQs and precursors 06/07 18 94 * * 2 100 * * NVQs 04/05 100 70 69 1 373 67 44 23 05/06 126 69 73 -4 338 74 63 11 06/07 201 87 * * 203 69 * * Other 04/05 978 78 68 10 1012 75 63 12 05/06 1185 72 68 4 767 76 66 10 06/07 1121 78 * * 503 81 * *

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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. 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 1184 66 61 5 1700 69 63 6 05/06 1528 70 68 2 2566 79 73 6 06/07 1267 80 * * 2120 84 * * GCSEs 04/05 280 56 64 -8 208 62 63 -1 05/06 237 62 67 -5 165 72 67 5 06/07 235 71 * * 129 88 * * 04/05 51 67 68 -1 7 100 62 38 05/06 87 70 71 -1 7 100 62 38 GNVQs and precursors 06/07 49 49 * * 2 100 * * NVQs 04/05 235 61 54 7 757 77 66 11 05/06 372 67 66 1 1648 87 78 9 06/07 322 80 * * 1412 87 * * Other 04/05 618 73 61 12 728 63 60 3 05/06 832 73 68 5 742 62 63 -1 06/07 661 85 * * 577 75 * *

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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

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Table 3

3 Long 04/05 1117 66 66 0 884 57 54 3 05/06 1092 65 70 -5 1000 64 64 0 06/07 1104 76 * * 1069 75 * * 04/05 183 78 82 -4 74 58 82 -24 A/A2 Levels 05/06 197 76 85 -9 49 61 69 -8 06/07 115 87 * * 31 87 * * AS Levels 04/05 379 59 65 -6 51 51 52 -1 05/06 368 50 65 -15 64 61 53 8 06/07 213 54 * * 28 89 * * 04/05 40 58 57 1 4 75 46 29 05/06 21 57 60 -3 6 33 46 -13 GNVQs and precursors 06/07 5 100 * * 2 100 * * NVQs 04/05 37 62 70 -8 252 59 48 11 05/06 33 76 73 3 331 67 64 3 06/07 32 63 * * 435 80 * * Other 04/05 478 68 61 7 406 55 57 -2 05/06 472 73 67 6 479 64 65 -1 06/07 739 81 * * 573 69 * *

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Table 3

* The 2006/07 national rates were not released at the time of this inspection ** Qualifications not offered

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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 90 43 48 24 34 04/05 timely 65 34 31 18 22 overall 76 43 53 36 44 05/06 timely 72 29 34 24 27 overall 37 62 64 54 58 Advanced Apprenticeships

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Table 4

06/07 timely 39 41 43 31 37 overall 194 44 51 31 39 04/05 timely 231 20 29 16 22 overall 341 76 58 70 52 05/06 timely 313 40 38 36 34 overall 332 89 65 82 61 Apprenticeships

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Table 4

06/07 timely 286 76 47 69 44 * 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’

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Table 5

Success rates on work-based learning ‘Train to Gain’ programmes managed by the provider/college 2006 to 2007.

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Table 5

Programme End Year Success rate No. of learners* Provider/college NVQ rate** overall 89 98 Train to Gain *** 2006/07 timely na na * 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/provider qualification success rates are calculated using LSC published data derived from the ‘Individual Learning Record’ *** Includes ‘Train to Gain’ long course NVQ provision, but not ‘Skills for Life’

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Table 5

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