Barton Peveril Sixth Form College

Published date 9 March 2010 Inspection Number 343646 Unique reference number: 130701

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Name of lead inspector: Alan Hinchliffe HMI

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Last day of inspection: 05 February 2010

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Address:

Chestnut Avenue Eastleigh SO50 5ZA Telephone number: 0238 0367200 Barton Peveril College

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Information about the provider

1. Barton Peveril College is a sixth form college in Eastleigh, Hampshire, some six miles from Southampton and eight from Winchester. The college serves a community of urban and rural areas in south-west Hampshire and also attracts students from Southampton and Fareham. The Eastleigh area has a low rate of unemployment and a high proportion of managerial and professional workers, many of whom work outside the area.

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Information about the provider

2. The college provides a general sixth form education to just under 2,400 full-time students aged 16 to 18, and programmes for around 1,200 adult learners, most of who study part-time. The vast majority of full-time students take advanced level courses. The college offers a very wide range of AS and A levels in both academic and applied subjects; a number of national certificate and diploma courses at levels 2 and 3; GCSEs in English, mathematics, biology, and modern foreign languages, and a variety of accredited enrichment courses, including the extended project. Adult learners take a mixture of evening classes in academic subjects, Skills for Life courses, and National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ). Adult learning is a very small percentage of total provision. Approximately 9% of all students come from a minority ethnic background.

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Information about the provider

3. All ten partner schools are 11 to 16 mixed comprehensive schools, although the college recruits beyond these schools. A small number of school students aged 14 to 16 take courses at the college. The college is a partner in the Eastleigh consortium of schools and colleges. A general further education college is situated nearby and provides an extensive range of vocational and training programmes at all levels. The two colleges collaborate closely to ensure that their combined provision meets the needs of the local community.

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Information about the provider

4. The inspection took into account all of the provision offered by the college, although discrete adult provision was not inspected directly. Provision in science, visual arts, English, and business, administration and law was inspected in depth.

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Information about the provider

5. The college provides training on behalf of the following providers:

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Information about the provider

 Totton College – information, advice and guidance sessions and initial assessments with offenders as part of the Offenders’ Learning and Skills Service contract  Essential Skills Support Unit – basic skills at work.

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Information about the provider

6. The following organisations provide training on behalf of the college:

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Information about the provider

 KATS Training – health and social care NVQ  Halford Training – team leading and information, advice and guidance.

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Provision for young learners:

Further education (16 to 18) 3 full-time learners 22 part-time learners

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Provision for young learners:

2,313 full-time learners 154 part-time learners

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Provision for adult learners:

Further education (19+) 18 full-time learners 1,185 part-time learners

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Summary report

Grades: 1 is outstanding; 2 is good; 3 is satisfactory; 4 is inadequate

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Grade

Leadership and management 1 Safeguarding Equality and diversity

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Overall effectiveness

7. This is a good college with an outstanding capacity to improve. Students’ outcomes improved significantly in 2008/09 and are good. Many students achieve outstanding results and make exceptional progress, but as the college recognises, students’ achievement and progress on a significant minority of courses are not as good. Students benefit immensely from a particularly wide range of enrichment activities that contribute to their economic and social well- being and their development as citizens. The college promotes healthy lifestyles effectively and pays very good attention to students’ safety. The quality of provision is good. The college’s accurate self-assessment report judges provision to be good in the vast majority of subject clusters, and in around half of the individual subjects. Teaching and learning are good, with pockets of truly outstanding teaching; but a significant minority of lessons are no better than

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Overall effectiveness

satisfactory. Students benefit from outstanding academic and pastoral guidance and support. Systems for monitoring students’ progress on their courses are exemplary. 8. Leadership and management are outstanding. After a period when the pace of improvement was slow, college staff have been revitalised and are ambitious for the college to be outstanding in every respect as quickly as possible. The principal, college leaders and governors have set out a clear and urgent agenda to raise standards by improving students’ achievements and the quality of teaching and learning, and rapid progress has been made over the last year. Quality assurance procedures are increasingly effective in identifying and tackling pockets of weaker performance. High priority has been given to the promotion of equality and diversity and safeguarding, both of which are judged to be good. Financial management is excellent and the college provides

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Main findings

 Outcomes for students are good. The vast majority of students succeed in their courses. Students’ achievements improved considerably in 2008/09 following a period when the pace of improvement had been negligible. Students completing their A levels made good progress, and progress at AS level was very good. There are no significant differences between the achievements of different groups of students.  On most courses, success rates are high and students make good or very good progress. On a minority of courses, the high standards aspired to by the college have yet to be reached. Students on vocational courses at intermediate and advanced level achieve good results. The relatively small numbers of adult learners, both on college-based provision and on employment-related courses, achieve well.  Students enjoy college, and one of the strengths of the provision is the ethos in the college generated by the strong focus on providing extra-curricular activities

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Main findings

that contribute to students’ economic and social well-being and their development as socially aware citizens who are well prepared to take their place in the outside world.  Teaching and learning are good. The best lessons are well planned and purposeful and lead to fast, lively, imaginative and challenging teaching that enables all students to make good progress. Many lessons are outstandingly effective in inspiring learning; in a minority of lessons, teachers struggle to enthuse students and planning is weaker. The most able students are not always given work or tasks that are sufficiently demanding.  Resources to support learning are good. Information and learning technology (ILT) is used routinely in lessons and provides students with regular access to internet-based resources such as topical thought-provoking video clips. All teaching areas convey a strong subject identity and exude a sense of belonging

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Main findings

through the vibrant and high quality display of students’ work.  The college’s response to meeting the needs and interests of students is outstanding. The range of provision is excellent, and is well coordinated with the provision offered by the neighbouring general further education college. Students can choose almost any combination of subjects. The college has broadened the provision for adult learners to meet their needs.  Partnership working is outstanding and benefits students. The college works effectively with local consortia to plan provision and share good practice. Links with universities have led to compact agreements for students. Sexual health services have been extended in collaboration with the local NHS trust. In response to partners such as the probation service, the college has extended its provision for vulnerable learners.  The college provides outstanding care, guidance and support for students.

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Main findings

Extensive provision of information, advice and guidance helps students to make informed choices about their futures. Comprehensive welfare services and counselling are available. Learning support is effective in helping students to achieve. Students’ progress is tracked closely and teachers, parents and carers, and students make good use of the information to plan improvement.  Leadership and management are outstanding. The principal, governors and senior managers provide outstanding strategic leadership and direction. A new senior management structure has improved communication and accountability. The college’s friendly and supportive culture is valued by staff and students.  Governors provide outstanding direction, challenge and support. They have developed their understanding of aspects such as students’ achievements to enhance their scrutiny of the college’s results.  Arrangements for safeguarding learners, child protection and health and safety

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Main findings

are good. The college works well with other agencies. Learners feel safe and value the college’s inclusive environment.  Equality and diversity are promoted well. The college has improved the achievements of minority ethnic groups and male students so that they are now similar to those for White British students and female students. Teachers have increased the promotion of equality and diversity within their courses, although the college recognises that more needs to be done.  Arrangements for monitoring and improving the quality of courses are good. The restructuring of middle management roles, which is partially complete, is already proving effective in sharpening lines of accountability. Supportive action has been taken to improve weaker areas and this has led to some improvement. Course action plans do not all focus closely enough on actions to improve teaching and learning.

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further?

 Ensure that quality assurance procedures and targeted staff development are used effectively to reduce the variable performance across subjects and bring all courses up to the standard of the best. Monitor action plans frequently to check that desired improvements are taking place.  Improve the quality and consistency of lesson planning so that teaching and learning activities match the abilities and capabilities of all students, providing suitable levels of challenge to the more able students.  Ensure that course action plans focus on specific actions to improve teaching and learning, and how these will be implemented, in order to increase the impact of this work.

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What learners like:

 the friendly and relaxed atmosphere, providing a good balance between academic and general preparation for life  the good quality of teaching and the very approachable teachers  the good quality guidance and support from many different sources  the useful feedback on assignments and essays  the helpful one-to-one tutorials  the library as a working environment  the ‘gifted and talented’ programme  the ready availability of up-to-date computers  the good range of enrichment opportunities  the good displays of students’ work around the college that give students a sense of achievement and pride.

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What learners would like to see improved:

 the canteen facilities: the quality and price of food  access to an internet café  the provision of more study areas and more social space.

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Capacity to make and sustain improvement Grade 1

9. Senior managers have a strong grasp of the strategic direction of the college and the determination to achieve it. The powerful focus on the college’s ethos and values, with a particular emphasis on the improvement of teaching and learning and students’ achievements and progress, has been embraced by staff. Governors provide outstanding direction and support. The college is making significant progress in improving its outcomes for students and the quality of provision. Overall success rates improved in 2008/09, after three years when they remained static against a national backdrop of improving performance. Significant improvements were secured in the progress made by AS-level students in comparison with their prior attainment. Self-assessment is accurate, although some course review action plans lack sufficient detail on how to improve teaching and learning. The new senior management structure is already

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Capacity to make and sustain improvement Grade 1

having an impact in improving communication and accountability for students’ outcomes. Benefits can also be seen from the partially completed middle management restructure in terms of increased accountability for performance in individual subjects. The college has good facilities for learning and is preparing a new strategy for developing the estate further. Financial management and risk assessment are outstanding, with a forward-looking approach to new opportunities for development. Value for money is outstanding.

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Outcomes for learners Grade 2

10. Students achieve good results and make very good progress during their time at college. In 2005/06 the proportion of students who were successful on advanced level courses, the bulk of the college’s provision, was very high, being significantly above the high national averages for sixth form colleges. However, over a three-year period, success rates did not improve and the college’s relative performance declined to below the rising national average. This trend was reversed in 2008/09, and success rates at advanced level, and at other levels, rose significantly. The proportion of students who achieved grades A or B on A- and AS-level courses also rose significantly, and is slightly above the sixth form college average. However, this overall figure disguises wide variations in high grade achievements between subjects. Inspection evidence suggests that students’ achievements should continue to rise in 2009/10.

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Outcomes for learners Grade 2

11. No significant differences exist between the performance of male and female students, or students from different ethnic backgrounds. Success rates for students receiving additional learning support are higher than the college average.

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Outcomes for learners Grade 2

12. The college uses a variety of measures to judge the progress that advanced- level students make in comparison with their results in GCSE examinations. These measures indicate a significant improvement in students’ progress in the last year, particularly on AS-level courses, where progress in 2008/09 was outstanding overall. As the college recognises, students’ progress is not uniform across all courses. On a minority of courses, too many students do not achieve the grades of which they are capable. For example, while students’ achievements are outstanding at AS level in mathematics and the visual arts, they are less impressive in modern foreign languages and product design.

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Outcomes for learners Grade 2

13. Most students who take vocational courses at intermediate and advanced level achieve well, and GCSE results are very good in most subjects. The relatively small number of adult learners, who take evening classes in academic subjects, and Skills for Life qualifications and NVQs in partnership with other providers and employers, achieve well.

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Outcomes for learners Grade 2

14. Students enjoy college life, and prosper in a harmonious and orderly environment. The range of activities in which they are involved, in addition to their formal curriculum, is impressive, and makes a significant contribution to their economic and social well-being. Equally importantly, students are encouraged to become active citizens, whether through sporting activity, through making a contribution to fund-raising for charitable causes, or through engaging in political and intellectual debate. Students are encouraged to follow a healthy lifestyle, and to stay safe – both at college and in their private lives. Many students make a positive contribution to the college community, although the college recognises that there are further opportunities to contribute to the communal life of Eastleigh. Students are well prepared for life after college, and those who wish to go to university usually achieve their aim. The proportion of

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Outcomes for learners Grade 2

students winning places at the universities with the keenest competition for places is rising.

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The quality of provision Grade 2

15. Teaching and learning are good. The quality of lessons observed by inspectors was mostly good, with examples of both outstanding and satisfactory lessons. The most effective lessons are well planned and purposeful and lead to fast, lively, imaginative and challenging teaching that enables students to make good progress. These lessons combine a variety of learning activities that motivate students, foster good individual and group participation, and promote independent learning. Students enjoy these lessons and work enthusiastically, keen to share their learning. Teachers’ skilful use of questioning not only reinforces the learning but also helps students to develop further their understanding. Teachers demonstrate very good subject knowledge and use this well to ensure students use appropriate specialist and technical language in their work.

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The quality of provision Grade 2

16. In some instances, the planning of lessons does not regularly include suitable short activities to engage students at the start of the lesson or to provide opportunities for students to review their learning towards the end. Lesson content and teachers’ use of questioning do not always provide sufficient challenge to stretch more able students’ knowledge and understanding. In these lessons, the teaching concentrates on the whole group and does not use sufficient strategies to meet the needs of students with different abilities or capabilities. However, for many adult learners, teachers are adept at meeting individual needs.

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The quality of provision Grade 2

17. The assessment of students’ work is good. Students receive regular, prompt and insightful feedback on both coursework and homework that enables them to understand fully how their work might be improved. In many lessons, students particularly enjoy using mini-whiteboards to display, compare and share their responses to assessment questions.

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The quality of provision Grade 2

18. Resources to support learning are good. Teachers are well qualified and draw on their substantial experience to enhance their students’ learning. The use of information and learning technology in lessons is high and provides students with regular access to internet-based resources such as topical thought- provoking video clips. All teaching areas convey a strong subject identity and exude a sense of belonging through the stimulating display of high quality work. Specialist accommodation in performing and visual arts and sport is of a very high standard. However, some accommodation in science, technology, media and mathematics is outdated.

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The quality of provision Grade 2

19. In many subjects the promotion of equality and diversity in teaching and learning is good. In English, teachers make good use of the course content to encourage students to investigate their own attitudes to race, language, accent and dialect. In visual arts, students use their exploration of other cultures well to develop their own creativity.

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The quality of provision Grade 2

20. The college’s response to meeting the needs and interests of students is outstanding. Working with a nearby college, it ensures that programmes offer good progression from entry level to advanced level, with little duplication. The range of provision is excellent. Students can choose almost any combination of subjects. The college has broadened the provision for adult learners to meet needs in response to partners.

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The quality of provision Grade 2

21. Enrichment activities are extensive and participation by students is good. Last year, 191 visits or residential trips took place. More than 400 students take part in lunchtime activities covering performing arts, sports, humanities and sciences. Students take part in numerous competitions and enter for varied awards, often performing well. The college offers many sporting activities, both recreational and competitive; students are successful at international, national and county level.

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The quality of provision Grade 2

22. Partnership working is outstanding and benefits students. The college works effectively with local consortia to plan provision and share good practice. Links with universities have led to compact agreements for students. Sexual health services have been extended in collaboration with the local National Health Service (NHS) trust. In response to partners such as the probation service, the college has extended its provision for vulnerable learners. Over 60 employers and universities contribute to each of the three well-attended progression fairs held each year. 23. The college provides outstanding care, guidance and support for students. Services are located within the students’ social area, giving high visibility and ease of access. Comprehensive information, advice and guidance help students to make informed choices about their futures. Regular sessions in tutorials, visiting speakers, careers and higher education fairs throughout the year offer

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The quality of provision Grade 2

further guidance. The college provides comprehensive welfare services and counselling.

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The quality of provision Grade 2

24. Students’ progress is tracked thoroughly and recorded in detail electronically. Teachers, parents and carers, and students make good use of the system. Target grades, progress and attendance are reviewed regularly to ensure students are on track. Actions are planned with the students to help them to improve their work.

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The quality of provision Grade 2

25. Learning support is effective in helping students to achieve. The college makes good use of information from partner schools and initial assessment to support students who need help with literacy and numeracy and for those with a wide variety of learning difficulties and/or disabilities, some severe.

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Leadership and management Grade 1

26. The principal, governors and senior managers provide outstanding strategic leadership and direction. Together with staff, they have developed the college’s ethos and values, to promote high standards and raise aspirations, with an emphasis on improving teaching and learning and added value for students. Very good progress has been made, although the process of change and development is not yet complete. A new organisation structure has improved lines of communication and accountability. The college’s strategic objectives are articulated highly effectively in operational and action plans. Governors and senior managers monitor progress carefully against objectives and targets. The friendly and supportive culture is valued by staff and students. The college is active in local and regional partnerships that improve opportunities for learners, and support staff development. Parents, carers, partners and students hold the

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Leadership and management Grade 1

27. Governors provide outstanding direction, challenge and support. They bring a high level and range of expertise to their work with the college. Governors are keen to understand fully technical aspects such as value-added in students’ outcomes and have received training to improve further their level of scrutiny. They are involved closely with the life of the college and have a strong understanding of areas for improvement.

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Leadership and management Grade 1

28. The promotion of safeguarding is good. Policies and procedures for child protection and safeguarding vulnerable adults are appropriate. All staff have received basic awareness training and senior managers and other key staff have undertaken higher-level training. The college has carried out relevant checks of all governors, employees and volunteers, recorded in a single central list. The college works closely with partner agencies to support students who require protection and safeguarding. Arrangements to ensure students’ safety on college visits and work experience are good. Students feel safe in the college, supported by the good site security. The rare instances of bullying are tackled swiftly. The management of health and safety in the college is good.

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Leadership and management Grade 1

29. The promotion of equality and diversity is good. The college has appropriate policies and action plans to meet its duties in relation to race, gender and disability. The range of courses enables progression for students with lower entry qualifications, and also adult learning in basic skills and for some under- represented groups in the community. The profile of equality and diversity has been raised through training for staff and governors. Thorough monitoring and analysis of data relating to all aspects of equality are being used to promote improvements. Teachers have increased the promotion of equality and diversity within the curriculum, although the college has recognised the need to make further progress. Students value the college’s inclusive ethos and disabled learners receive very good support. The gap in achievements that existed between minority ethnic and White British students, and between male and

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Leadership and management Grade 1

female students, has been reduced significantly over the last three years.

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Leadership and management Grade 1

30. The college’s arrangements for quality improvement and self-assessment are good. The new and developing organisational structure is enabling the college to know itself better, and allowing managers at all levels to focus more effectively on the monitoring of progress against targets and objectives. Effective action has been taken to improve areas of underachievement, although there remain some inconsistencies in performance to be resolved. Staff development activities and the sharing of good practice are having a positive impact on teachers’ methods. Outcomes for students improved in 2008/09, significantly so on AS-level courses. However, further improvement is needed in some subjects. The quality of internal lesson observations is good. The college acknowledges that the sample observed in any given year is not sufficiently comprehensive to make overall judgements about the quality of teaching and

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Leadership and management Grade 1

learning. Some course level action plans do not specify clearly how teaching and learning will be improved. Improved access to data on students’ progress is enabling tutors to monitor students’ attendance and outcomes more closely and this is having a beneficial impact. The college’s self-assessment of its strengths and areas for improvement is accurate.

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Leadership and management Grade 1

31. Arrangements for students to contribute their views and promote improvement are good. A student committee promotes social, charitable and other activities, while the senate enables course representatives to raise issues about courses and the college generally, supported by open access forums. These opportunities have led to specific improvements. Student governors and an observer have been well supported in their role and received appropriate training. Student surveys are used effectively to inform developments. The college’s dialogue with external partners is excellent.

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Leadership and management Grade 1

32. The college provides outstanding value for money. Financial management and control are outstanding. Financial planning is forward looking and linked closely to the college’s overall strategy, with very good risk management and accompanying strategies. Class sizes are high, and students’ outcomes are good. The college provides a pleasant learning environment with good, and some outstanding, learning facilities and resources, and good access for disabled students.

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Context

33. The curriculum area offers AS- and A-level courses in biology, human biology, chemistry, physics and psychology, and a GCSE in biology. Evening classes are offered in chemistry and biology. There are currently 1,108 students.

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Key findings

 Outcomes for students are good. Success rates are high on most courses, being broadly in line with the national averages for sixth form colleges, except in AS- level psychology, where they were significantly above the average in 2008/09.  The proportion of students achieving grades A and B at A and AS level is below average on most courses, although it is high in AS-level physics. Value-added information shows that students make particularly good progress in AS-level physics and psychology.  The standard of students’ work is good. Students enjoy their work and are supportive of each other, especially while undertaking small group work and practical work. In some classes students who are more able are not given sufficiently demanding work. Students work well and safely in lessons. Good attention is paid to health and safety through the use of personal protective equipment and close attention to safe working practices.

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Key findings

 Teaching and learning are good. In most lessons teachers deploy a good range of activities and manage practical work well. Information and learning technology is used effectively to benefit learning. Teachers’ use of questions is not always effective in checking that all students understand the material or develop their thinking. Other areas for improvement in a minority of lessons are the effectiveness of the beginning and end of lessons, and the management of small group work.  Students benefit from a very good range of enrichment. Activities include science lectures and visits, for example, to Didcot power station and the Science Museum. Ten students participated in an Engineering Education scheme that involved being mentored by practitioners from industry. A Nobel Prize winner awarded the prizes last year and prior to the ceremony gave a lecture and held a question-and-answer session with selected science learners.

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Key findings

 Students benefit from excellent individual support. The effective tracking system is accessible to both students and parents and carers. Targets are set that are achievable yet challenging; students are given help to achieve targets and equally are monitored closely if they miss them.  An effective programme is offered to raise the aspirations of ‘gifted and talented’ students. This year 12 students have been offered places at Oxford or Cambridge universities. Additional classes are offered, which include dissection, for those who are progressing to biomedical programmes. Extra support classes in all subjects are available weekly at lunchtimes.  Curriculum management is good. Staff development needs are collated and a check made on their completion at the end of the year. Staff and managers are set targets and, if required, support is provided through mentoring and the sharing of good practice.  The self-assessment report is good, although the relatively low proportion of

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Key findings

students achieving high grades is given insufficient weight. The action plan arising from the report is updated formally every term and its progress is discussed in meetings every two or three weeks. Action planning lacks detail in places, and the expected completion date is not always clear.  Staff have been trained in aspects of equality and diversity and there is evidence in classrooms and corridors of diverse role models. Value-added scores alerted staff to the possibility that girls in 2009 achieved less well than expected compared to boys. This has been investigated and continues to be monitored.  Work experience is available to all students and timetabling can allow for this. Work experience can be organised through the college with the Connexions service, and is seen as essential for some progression routes such as biomedical sciences and primary education.  Students’ views are responded to. The student senate is valued highly and

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Key findings

students know how they can take forward a complaint. The results of student questionnaires are discussed by focus groups. In psychology two students observed a class and their feedback resulted in the development of a student council in that subject.

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What does Barton Peveril College need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that students reach the highest grades of which they are capable through providing consistently challenging and demanding teaching and learning, and making sure that students know what they need to know and to do to achieve high grades.  Improve teachers’ questioning techniques and the further development of the beginning and conclusion of lessons through sharing good practice and effective staff training.  Ensure that the action plan arising from self-assessment is clear about exactly what needs to be done, and by when, to improve the quality of provision for students.

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Context

34. Around 600 students take advanced-level courses in art and design. The range of options available includes fine art, graphics, photography, textiles, moving image, and sculpture. Around one third of students are taking more than one art option. The vast majority of students are aged 16 to 18.

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Key findings

 Outcomes for students are excellent. Students’ achievements have continued to improve since the last inspection. A-level success rates are very high and pass rates are high on the majority of AS-level arts pathways.  Students make outstanding progress, with most attaining grades higher than those predicted by their prior attainment. A high proportion of both AS- and A- level students achieve grades A or B.  The quality of students’ practical work is excellent. Textile students make exciting and dynamic garments with various materials and fabrics such as folded paper, mixed media and wool. Graphics students create thought-provoking designs through digital image manipulation using text and image. Photography students produce high quality black-and-white and colour images, exploring a range of themes. Artworks are finished to a high and professional standard.  Students develop excellent creative and technical skills with good conceptual

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Key findings

understanding. Students enjoy their learning and respond enthusiastically to new challenges. They evaluate their work and articulate their ideas very well. Sketchbooks show good development of ideas and reflective learning. Experimentation is encouraged and students readily take visual risks and try out new techniques and processes.  Students feel safe and well supported by their teachers. They show a maturity and respect for their teachers and peers. Most students progress to a Foundation Diploma, or an academic or arts degree. Tutors provide good advice on suitable progression routes.  Teaching and learning are outstanding. Teachers are knowledgeable about their subjects and are enthusiastic to share their knowledge and specialist skills with their students. Teachers challenge each student to aim for excellence. Experimentation in conceptual thinking and skills development and peer learning and review are promoted actively. Tutors provide excellent individual support

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Key findings

and guidance.  Assessment and evaluation are highly effective. Assessment planning of coursework, exam units and moderation is shared with students. Students receive regular constructive verbal and written feedback on coursework and homework with clear indicators on how to improve.  Leadership and management are outstanding. The team of curriculum manager, course leaders and teachers work together to promote excellence and inspire all students towards high achievement. Robust systems in self-assessment and the analysis of data are used effectively to inform planning and improvement. Managers listen to their students and respond to their educational and creative requirements.  Resources are good and are used effectively to support teaching and learning. Technical support is effective in preparing materials and also in providing demonstration of specific process and techniques. Studios are clean and bright.

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Key findings

Excellent displays of students’ work across the college celebrate outstanding achievement and provide inspiration for all students.  The excellent range of enrichment activities provides students with inspiration for exam and coursework themes, and builds underpinning skills and knowledge, such as life drawing and art history. Visits to museums and galleries, including in London, Europe and the USA, inspire students’ creativity and taste to try new styles, approaches and techniques.  Cultural diversity is promoted in all subject areas through a range of innovative projects. The use and meaning of colour, physical effects and cultural influences are themes explored through film by moving image students. Textile students investigate the work of artists and designers from Japan, Africa, Brazil and many European countries, influencing their designs and methods. Fine art students research artists whose work is informed by issues such as gender, sexuality,

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Key findings

physical disability, race, ethnicity and mental illness.

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What does Barton Peveril College need to do to improve further?

 Improve the planning and arrangements for team-teaching and student presentations in open-plan studios to allow for further flexibility in teaching and learning methods.  Provide opportunities for both teachers and students from different art subject pathways to formally learn from each other and share good practice.

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Context

35. Around 870 students, mostly aged 16 to 18 on full-time courses, study English at the college. Most students are female. Advanced level courses are offered in English language, literature, and language and literature. GCSE English is taken by over 100 students each year.

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Key findings

 Outcomes for students are good. Success rates at both AS and A level are high, and are broadly in line with the national average for sixth form colleges. Those taking the Advanced Extension award do particularly well. The proportion of students achieving grades A* to C at GCSE has fallen over the last three years and is low. Students make particularly good progress, in comparison with their prior attainment, in A-level English language, and good progress on other courses.  Teaching and learning are good. Lessons are well structured and paced and allow students to play an active part in their learning. Students work with enthusiasm and, in A-level classes, use appropriate vocabulary to describe and discuss linguistic and literary devices. Summative assessment is timely and enables students to understand how their work might be improved.  In too many lessons, not enough appropriate extension work is provided for the

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Key findings

more able students. Lessons do not always end with a review and reinforcement of the learning that has taken place.  Assessment of students’ work is good. Work is set regularly and returned promptly. Students are given a clear idea of the standard of their work and of how it might be improved. Teachers’ remarks are encouraging. In literature, highly effective cover sheets have been developed that follow closely the assessment criteria.  A good variety of subjects in English meets the needs and interests of students well. English language and literature is now offered as a full A level, which completes the suite of English subjects. Students value the opportunity to attend taster days in July to understand clearly the different English courses on offer.  A wide range of enrichment activities is provided for students. Students enjoy well-planned trips to the theatre. A creative writing club meets at lunchtimes

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Key findings

and students benefit from a wider reading club aimed specifically at those applying to study English at university.  Support for students is excellent. Frequent one-to-one tutorials take place. Students value these tutorials and speak highly of the support they receive. The very good support and advice in making higher education applications is also valued by students.  Leadership and management are good. A series of focused staff meetings encourage the sharing of good practice. A member of staff has now been given responsibility for each of the different English subjects, and all staff teach across the range of subjects in English; this encourages effective teamwork. Staff appraisals are well written and have clear, measurable targets. Staff regularly take advantage of subject update conferences as well as taking part in assessor and moderation training.  The self-assessment report is brief and the action plan that is derived from it

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Key findings

does not contain deadlines for actions. Not all the areas for improvement identified in the report appear in the action plan.  Schemes of work identify opportunities to promote equality and diversity . Language diversity, accent and dialect are studied in relation to ethnicity in English language classes. In a lesson on Othello , the naturally occurring issues of attitudes to race were discussed particularly effectively. In an interesting lesson on the nature and use of Indian English, students were guided to explore sensitively the assumptions and stereotypes sometimes associated with English spoken in India.

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What does Barton Peveril College need to do to improve further?

 Identify the reasons for the decline in the proportion of students achieving high grades at GCSE, and take action to raise this proportion.  Develop resources and extension activities to stretch the more able students so that they fulfil their potential.  Extend the sharing of good practice in teaching and learning so that all lessons contain a review and consolidation of the learning that has taken place.  Ensure that action plans include clear time frames and reflect all issues identified in self-assessment reports.

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Context

36. The college offers a range of courses in business, secretarial studies, accountancy and law from foundation to advanced level. A and AS levels are offered in business studies, applied business studies, accounting and law. A national certificate and a diploma are offered at intermediate and advanced levels. At the time of inspection most of the 687 students were aged 16 to 18.

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Key findings

 Students’ outcomes are satisfactory and improving, but vary between courses. For example, in accounting students’ achievements improved considerably in 2008/09 and are very good. Students on national certificate and diploma courses achieve very well. In contrast, law students’ achievements and the progress they make are below expectations, although there are signs of improvement.  The proportion of students who achieve high grades is below average on most courses, although it is high on accounting courses and on the vocational business courses. Pass rates on the AS- and A-level business studies courses are very high, but not enough students achieve grades A and B, and value-added data indicate that students make insufficient progress on the A level.  The standard of students’ work is satisfactory. Students enjoy their learning and are well motivated and responsive. Students enjoy coming to college and

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Key findings

develop good social attitudes through the considerate and supportive way they work together in lessons.  The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. In the best lessons, teachers use a variety of interesting learning activities to engage students’ interest. In the less effective lessons, teachers focus too much on the practical aspects of teaching instead of thinking about what, and how, students will learn. The promotion of equality and diversity is satisfactory, although lessons do not promote equality and diversity actively.  Lesson plans are, on occasion, insufficiently detailed and lack specific learning aims or details of how these will be assessed. They contain little evidence of planning to meet individual students’ needs. Often the planned activities do not challenge the more able students sufficiently.  The use of questions in lessons often lacks focus. Teachers ask questions frequently but many questions are too general and fail to provide an effective

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Key findings

check on understanding. In particular, questions do not give more able students the opportunity to develop more sophisticated responses.  Assessment of students’ work is satisfactory. Tutors return students’ work promptly, but the quality of feedback is variable. Some feedback is insufficiently constructive to help students to improve their performance.  The range of provision is good. Many students benefit from other activities offered by the college, including a range of visits, speakers and the opportunity to travel abroad.  Support for students is good. Students in receipt of additional learning support achieve well. Students benefit from their involvement in monitoring their predicted grades in tutorials, and their progress is checked very carefully.  Curriculum leadership and management are satisfactory. Outcomes for students improved on some courses in 2008/09. Communication is satisfactory and

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Key findings

subject teams meet fortnightly to share good practice. Much work has been done to improve the quality of teaching and learning in law, although it is too early to gauge the impact of this on students’ results.  Subject reviews are broadly accurate but sometimes lack evidence for the judgements. Action plans are insufficiently detailed to make the necessary improvements and are not monitored closely enough.  Accommodation and resources are good. Classrooms are well equipped and comfortable to work in, with interesting business-related wall displays.

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What does Barton Peveril College need to do to improve further?

 Improve the consistency of students’ achievements by enabling the best practice to be shared across all courses.  Improve the quality of teaching, through targeted staff training, so that learning and assessment activities, including the use of questions by teachers, consistently challenge students of all abilities.  Ensure that lesson planning involves the setting of clear learning outcomes, which are assessed during the lesson and reviewed by students.  Improve the detail of self-assessment and subject review action plans, and monitor progress against actions more frequently, to help to achieve clear and measurable targets for improvement.

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Information about the inspection

37. Two of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) and six additional inspectors, assisted by the provider’s Assistant Principal (Quality) as nominee, carried out the inspection. Inspectors took account of the college’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, comments from the local Learning and Skills Council (LSC), the previous inspection report, reports from the inspectorate’s quality monitoring inspection, and data on students and their achievement over the period since the previous inspection.

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Information about the inspection

38. Inspectors used group and individual interviews, telephone calls and emails. They looked at questionnaires students had recently completed on behalf of the college. They also observed lessons, assessments and progress reviews. Inspectors collected evidence from programmes in each of the subject areas the college offers. Record of Main Findings (RMF)

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Barton Peveril College

Learning types: 14–16: Young apprenticeships; Diplomas; 16–18 Learner responsive: FE full- and part-time courses, Foundation learning tier, including Entry to Employment; 19+ responsive: FE full- and part-time courses; Employer responsive: Train to Gain, apprenticeships

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Barton Peveril College

Outcomes for learners 2 2 2 How well do learners achieve and enjoy their learning? 2 2 How well do learners attain their learning goals? How well do learners progress? How well do learners improve their economic and social well-being through learning and development? How safe do learners feel? 1 Are learners able to make informed choices about their own health and well being? How well do learners make a positive contribution to the community? 2 Quality of provision 2 2 2 How effectively do teaching, training and assessment support learning and development? How effectively does the provision meet the needs and interests of users? 1 How well partnerships with schools, employers, community groups and others lead to benefits for learners? How effective are the care, guidance and support learners receive in helping them to achieve? Leadership and management 1 1 1 How effectively do leaders and managers raise expectations and promote

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Barton Peveril College

ambition throughout the organisation? How effectively do governors and supervisory bodies provide leadership, direction and challenge? How effectively does the provider promote the safeguarding of learners? 2 How effectively does the provider actively promote equality and diversity, tackle discrimination and narrow the achievement gap? How effectively does the provider engage with users to support and promote improvement? How effectively does self-assessment improve the quality of the provision and outcomes for learners? How efficiently and effectively does the provider use its available resources to secure value for money? Grades using the 4 point scale 1: Outstanding; 2: Good; 3: Satisfactory; 4: Inadequate Overall 14–16 16–18 Learner responsive 19+ Learner responsive Employer responsive

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Barton Peveril College

Approximate number of enrolled learners Full-time learners Part-time learners 2,325 2,303 610 115

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Barton Peveril College

Overall effectiveness 2 2 2 Capacity to improve 1 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 Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It rates council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Barton Peveril College

If you would like a copy of this report in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 08456 404040, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Barton Peveril College

You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way.

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Barton Peveril College

Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann’s Square Manchester, M2 7LA

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Barton Peveril College

T: 08456 404040 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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