Setting

Aviation House 125 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 08456 404040 F 020 7421 6855 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Ms E Piotrowska Principal Morley College 61 Westminster Bridge Road London SE1 7HT

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literacy

Thank you for your hospitality and cooperation, and that of the staff and learners, during my visit on 25 and 26 January 2010 to look at work in literacy.

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literacy

The visit provided valuable information which will contribute to our national evaluation and reporting. Published reports are likely to list the names of the contributing institutions but individual institutions will not be identified in the main text without their consent.

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literacy

The evidence used to inform the judgements included: observation of two literacy learning sessions; discussions with learners; discussions with the principal and vice principal; discussion with the curriculum manager responsible for Skills for Life including literacy; discussion with a literacy tutor; scrutiny of lesson plans, learning materials and other documents including the college’s most recent self-assessment report.

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Features of good practice

 The college identifies very clearly the barriers to literacy learning that its learners face, and in particular the significance of providing literacy classes at an institution where around 70% of learners have English as an additional language. Managers and staff have a keen understanding of the barriers that learners experience once in learning, as well as the personal and other barriers that have impeded them previously. They work effectively to help learners overcome them.  Senior managers at the college have a strongly self-critical approach to their literacy provision, driving continuous improvement relentlessly from the top. Recent improvements in literacy follow an effective restructuring of the college’s management and delivery. The college has correctly placed great emphasis on remedying basic problems such as poor attendance, within a well-informed and principled approach to literacy learning.

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Features of good practice

 The literacy learning sessions observed were characterised by very careful, detailed planning. Teachers were highly skilled. They placed a strong emphasis on developing learners’ proficiency in using the building blocks of language confidently and correctly, as well as providing good practice in reading and writing. Texts and other written materials which provided the context for literacy learning were topical, interesting and effectively engaged learners intellectually. Sessions met individual and group needs well.

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Areas for development

 We discussed the need to improve learners’ success in achieving qualifications and non-accredited outcomes in literacy. It is important for the college to routinely analyse in detail data which clearly distinguish between literacy and numeracy achievement to identify more accurately areas of strength and weakness.

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Areas for development

As I explained previously, a copy of this letter will be sent to your local Learning and Skills Council and will be published on the Ofsted website. It will also be available to the team for your next institutional inspection.

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