R E P O RT FROM THE INSPECTORATE

1999-00

HalesowenCollege

THEFURTHEREDUCATIONFUNDINGCOUNCIL

THE FURTHER EDUCATION FUNDING COUNCIL

The Further Education Funding Council (FEFC) has a legal duty to makesure further education in England is properly assessed. The FEFC’sinspectorate inspects and reports on each college of further educationaccording to a four-year cycle. It also inspects other further educationprovision funded by the FEFC. In fulfilling its work programme, theinspectorate assesses and reports nationally on the curriculum,disseminates good practice and advises the FEFC’s quality assessmentcommittee.

College inspections are carried out in accordance with the framework andguidelines described in Council Circulars 97/12, 97/13 and 97/22.Inspections seek to validate the data and judgements provided by collegesin self-assessment reports. They involve full-time inspectors andregistered part-time inspectors who have knowledge of, and experience in,the work they inspect. A member of the Council’s audit service works withinspectors in assessing aspects of governance and management. Allcolleges are invited to nominate a senior member of their staff toparticipate in the inspection as a team member.

Cheylesmore HouseQuinton RoadCoventry CV1 2WTTelephone 024 7686 3000Fax 024 7686 3100Website www.fefc.ac.uk

© FEFC 2000 You may photocopy this report and use extracts inpromotional or other material provided quotes ar eaccurate, and the findings are not misrepresented.

Halesowen College

Contents

Paragraph

Summary

Context

The college and its mission 1

The inspection 7

Curriculum areas

Mathematics, computing and information technology 10

Business studies 16

Health and social care 21

English and communications 28

History, sociology and psychology 33

Basic skills 40

Cross-college provision

Support for students 46

General resources 53

Quality assurance 59

Governance 69

Management 79

Conclusions 90

College statistics

Grade DescriptorsInspectors assess the strengths and weaknessesof each aspect of provision they inspect. Theirassessments are set out in the report. They usea five-point scale to summarise the balancebetween strengths and weaknesses.

The descriptors for the grades are:

• grade 1 – outstanding provision which hasmany strengths and few weaknesses

• grade 2 – good provision in which thestrengths clearly outweigh the weaknesses

• grade 3 – satisfactory provision withstrengths but also some weaknesses

• grade 4 – less than satisfactory provisionin which the weaknesses clearly outweighthe strengths

• grade 5 – poor provision which has fewstrengths and many weaknesses.

Audit conclusions are expressed as good,adequate or weak.

Aggregated grades for aspects of cross-collegeprovision and curriculum areas, for collegesinspected during 1998-99, are shown in thefollowing table.

Grade

1 2 3 4 5% % % % %

Curriculumareas 10 53 30 7 –

Cross-college provision 14 54 23 7 2

Source: Quality and Standards in Further Educationin England 1998-99: Chief inspector’s annual reportSample size: 104 college inspections

Student AchievementsWhere data on student achievements appear intables, levels of achievement are shown in threeways:

• as number of starters, which is the numberof enrolments on qualifications where thestudent was expecting to complete thequalification that college year. Forexample, a student on a two-yearprogramme who began their programme in October 1995, would appear in theresults for 1996-97 because this is theyear in which they expected to completetheir qualification

• as a retention rate, which is thepercentage of qualifications which studentshave completed as expected or where theyare continuing their studies beyond theexpected end date of the qualification. Forprogrammes of study of two years or more,retention is calculated across the wholeprogramme, that is, from the start to theend of the qualification

• as an achievement rate, which is thenumber of qualifications students havefully achieved as a percentage ofcompleted qualifications with a knownoutcome. Partial achievements are notincluded.

Halesowen College1

Summary

Halesowen College

West Midlands Region

Inspected April 2000

Summary

Halesowen College is a tertiary college in theMetropolitan Borough of Dudley in the WestMidlands. Most staff and governors wereinvolved in the production of the college’s self-assessment report. Its judgements were subjectto moderation by the college executive, anexternal panel and two governors. This was thecollege’s third self-assessment report and it wasapproved by the corporation. Inspectors agreedwith many judgements in the college’s self-assessment report but considered that somestrengths were overstated and some weaknesseswere understated. Overall, the lesson grades theinspectors awarded were broadly similar tothose given by the college through its lessonobservation process. Inspectors agreed with allbut one of the grades in the self-assessmentreport for areas of provision.

The college offers a wide range of courses innine of the programme areas funded by theFEFC. Provision in five of these was inspectedtogether with aspects of cross-college provision.Most teaching is good or outstanding. Studentretention and achievement rates are mostlyabove the average for the sector. There aregood support services for students. Tutorials areeffective. Careers education and guidance arecomprehensive. Most accommodation ismodern and well maintained and it is easilyaccessible to students with restricted mobility.Computing equipment is of good quality. It iswell managed and readily available to staff andstudents. Staff strive for the continuousimprovement of provision. Course reviews arerigorous and there is good action-planning forthe improvement of provision. Governors arecommitted to helping the college to succeed.

They monitor the college’s finances effectively.Many aspects of management are good. Staffare well deployed. Appropriate targets are setand progress towards their achievement ismonitored effectively. Reports on the college’sfinancial performance are comprehensive. Thecollege should stop making inappropriatepayments to governors. It should also improve:the quality of advice governors receive; someaspects of strategic planning; arrangements forgovernors to monitor provision; the recording ofstudents’ progress; student achievement rates;social, recreational and sporting facilities; andthe application of quality assurance measures inbusiness support areas.

Halesowen College

2

Summary

Curriculum area Grade

Mathematics, computing and information technology 3

Business studies 2

Health and social care 2

English and communications 2

History, sociology and psychology 3

Basic skills 3

Cross-college provision Grade

Support for students 2

General resources 2

Quality assurance 2

Governance 3

Management 2

The grades awarded as a result of the inspection are given below

The College and its Mission

1 Halesowen College is located on twocampuses in Halesowen, a town on the southernedge of the Black Country in the MetropolitanBorough of Dudley. The town has a populationof 60,000. It expanded after the Second WorldWar as a residential area for people working inBirmingham and the surrounding area. It hasno large employers although there are somemedium-sized organisations. Halesowen hasfour secondary schools. The proportion of 16year olds in Dudley who stay on in full-timeeducation is 57%. The majority of full-timestudents are drawn from 30 schools in theboroughs of Dudley and Sandwell, and theBirmingham area. Within a 5-mile radius thereare six schools with sixth forms, two sixth formcolleges and three general further educationcolleges. The college aims to workcollaboratively with other educational andtraining providers.

2 The college opened as a tertiary college inSeptember 1982 in the premises of the formercollege of further education. It has grownsteadily and now has some 5,961 students. Ithas become a large provider of education in thearea for full-time students aged 16 to 19. In1998-99, 22% of full-time students were fromminority ethnic groups. The college employssome 303 full-time equivalent staff, of whom183 are teachers.

3 The college offers courses in nine FurtherEducation Funding Council (FEFC) programmeareas with many opportunities for 16 to 19 yearolds. It regards curriculum 2000 as a majoropportunity to provide a wide and flexible rangeof subjects for post-16 students, including 37general certificate of education advancedsupplementary (GCE AS) subjects and 24advanced vocational programmes.

4 The original building on the Whittinghamcampus was opened in 1967 and was added toby four new blocks in the 1980s. In 1997,another large building was constructed. A

conditional contract has been exchanged to sellthe Walton campus which is a former girls’school built in the late 1930s. In September2000, a new £1.7 million electronic commercecentre will open to provide an extensive range ofinformation technology (IT) and associatedtraining for small and medium-sized enterprisesand the local community.

5 The college is a member of a Black CountryPartnership for Learning through which itprovides for New Deal clients. This group willbe a ‘learndirect’ centre under which the collegewill operate a learning centre in September2000. It is also an ADAPT University forIndustry pilot centre for the development oflearning materials. More recently, the collegehas played a key role in supporting the DudleyPartnership for Lifelong Learning.

6 The college’s mission is to strive forexcellence in delivering opportunities foreducation and training in Halesowen and thewider community.

The Inspection

7 The college was inspected during the weekbeginning 3 April 2000. The inspection teamhad previously studied the college’s self-assessment report and information about thecollege held by other directorates of the FEFC.This included data on students’ achievementsfor 1997 and 1998, which were derived fromthe individualised student record (ISR). Thecollege supplied data on students’ achievementsfor 1999. Inspectors checked these against classregisters and pass lists issued by examiningbodies. Twelve inspectors and an auditorcarried out the inspection over 55 days.Inspectors observed 74 lessons, includingtutorials, and examined students’ work anddocumentation about the college and its courses.Meetings were held with governors, collegemanagers, staff and students.

8 The following table shows the grades givento the lessons inspected and the national profile

Halesowen College3

Context

for all colleges inspected in 1998-99. Of thelessons observed, 72% were judged to be goodor outstanding and 4% were less thansatisfactory. This compares with profiles of 65%and 6%, respectively, for all colleges inspected in 1998-99.

Halesowen College

4

Context

Programme Grade Totals1 2 3 4 5

GCE A/AS level 4 17 8 2 0 31

GCSE 1 3 1 1 0 6

GNVQ 2 7 1 0 0 10

NVQ 2 3 0 0 0 5

Other vocational 3 3 4 0 0 10

Other* 2 6 4 0 0 12

Total (No.) 14 39 18 3 0 74

Total (%) 19 53 24 4 0 100

National average, all inspected colleges 1998-99 (%) 20 45 29 6 0 100

Source for national average: Quality and Standards in Further Education in England 1998-99: Chief inspector’s annual repor t

*includes basic education

Lessons: inspection grades by programme of study

Halesowen College

5

Context

Average number Average attendanceof students (%)

Halesowen College 11.1 77

National average, all inspected colleges 1998-99 11.2 78

Source for national average: Quality and Standards in Further Education in England 1998-99: Chief inspector’s annual repor t

Attendance rates in lessons observed

9 The following table shows the attendancerates in the lessons observed and the nationalaverage for all colleges inspected in 1998-99.

Mathematics, Computing andInformation Technology

Grade 310 Inspectors observed 16 lessons inmathematics, computing and IT. Some of thestrengths stated in the self-assessment repor twere overstated. Inspectors found onestrength and several weaknesses the collegehad not identified.

Key strengths

• students’ good achievement rates ongeneral national vocational qualification(GNVQ) programmes

• students’ high retention rates

• good basic IT provision

• good work experience opportunities forvocational students

• extensive and useful learning materials

Weaknesses

• poor achievement rates on GCE advancedlevel (GCE A level) programmes

• weaknesses in curriculum management

• insufficient use of IT on mathematicscourses

• insufficient feedback to students

• underdeveloped links with industry

11 There are a high number of students onfull-time mathematics, computing and IT GCE Alevel and general certificate of secondaryeducation (GCSE) courses and on GNVQ coursesin IT at both advanced and intermediate level.The college offers a growing number and anincreasing range of part-time programmes inbasic IT. These are offered in a variety oflocations, including local schools and specialistaccommodation at both campuses. Staff in thiscurriculum area do not work together in a co-ordinated way to share ideas on teaching and

learning, develop the curriculum or monitorstudents’ achievements. Action has been takento partly rectify this problem but it is oneaffecting the GCE A level programmes inparticular. There is little sharing of good practicebetween the subject areas.

12 Teaching on the part-time programmes foradults was particularly good. On these, thestudents produced high standards of work anddemonstrated a clear understanding of whatthey had been taught. Teaching in practicallessons is good. In many lessons on GCE A leveland GCSE courses, students spent all their timeeither copying work from the board or workingthrough examples. Many students found theseactivities uninspiring and did not learn verymuch from them. Teachers failed to checkwhether the students understood what theycopied down. In one lesson, only one studentcould follow the teacher’s board work, yet theteacher continued with the topic.

13 As identified in the self-assessment report,student achievement rates on the GNVQprogrammes are good and those on theadvanced programme are significantly above thenational average for the sector. In theirassignment work on the GNVQ intermediatecourse, students display a sound knowledge ofIT and its commercial application. Student passrates on GCE A level statistics and mathematicscourses are below the national average and onthe GCE A level computing course they areparticularly low. Student retention rates on allfull-time courses are above the national averageand they are high on the GCE A levelmathematics and the GNVQ advanced course.Most students’ work is of a good standard. Intheir marking of work, some teachers do notprovide students with sufficiently detailedwritten comments on the quality of their work.In particular, students whose work falls belowan appropriate standard, receive little feedbackon their weaknesses and on ways of rectifyingthem.

Halesowen College

6

Curriculum Areas

14 Inspectors agreed with the finding in theself-assessment report that students on all GNVQcourses have valuable periods of workexperience. These are for two or three weekseach year and are carefully chosen to ensurethey are relevant to the programme as a whole,and to the students’ assignments. Recently,second-year students have been placed in Italyand in Sweden. This successful work experienceprogramme, however, does not lead to usefullong-term links with industry. Employers are notinvolved in course planning or review, and donot provide work-related assignments.

15 As the self-assessment reportacknowledges, students benefit from theextensive range of learning materials. ITstudents use study packs and learning materialson the network which enable students to workon their own or in small groups, and they onlyseek help from teachers when they need it. Inmathematics and statistics, staff have produceda large number of learning materials. Theseinclude course materials, handouts and somewell-produced examination revision packs. Anappropriate range of modern hardware andsoftware is available in computing and IT.Students have easy access to equipment at alltimes. The Internet connection is slow inoperation. Inspectors agreed with the judgementin the self-assessment report, that the failure tomake IT an integral part of work in mathematicsand statistics constitutes a weakness. None ofthe classrooms used for these subjects has acomputer.

Halesowen College

7

Curriculum Areas

Halesowen College

8

Curriculum Areas

Type of qualification Level Numbers and Completion year

outcome 1997 1998 1999

GCSE mathematics 2 Number of starters 300 262 249Retention (%) 86 77 83Achievement (%) 38 27 34

GNVQ intermediate 2 Number of starters 21 47 44and precursors Retention (%) 81 79 57

Achievement (%) 80 59 75

GCE A level mathematics 3 Number of starters 59 64 80Retention (%) 93 86 82Achievement (%) 60 56 68

GCE A level statistics 3 Number of starters 24 13 20Retention (%) 75 92 75Achievement (%) 61 25 60

GCE A level computing 3 Number of starters 72 78 103Retention (%) 90 86 82Achievement (%) 46 40 33

GNVQ advanced IT 3 Number of starters 42 46 39and precursors Retention (%) 83 87 67

Achievement (%) 97 90 81

IT (all courses including Various Number of starters 308 424 1,174short and over 24 weeks) Retention (%) 89 87 97

Achievement (%) 72 45 52

Source: ISR (1997 and 1998), college 1999

A summary of retention and achievementrates in mathematics, computing andinformation technology, 1997 to 1999

Business Studies

Grade 216 Inspectors observed 10 lessons. Theyagreed with many of the judgements in theself-assessment report but identified a fewadditional strengths and weaknesses.

Key strengths

• outstanding pass rates on some courses

• much good teaching

• students’ good achievement rates onmany courses in 1997 and 1999

• robust internal verification procedures

• good display materials in rooms withstrong subject identity

Weaknesses

• many students’ lack of punctuality

• underdeveloped use of IT and learningresources

• inadequate links with employers

17 Inspectors agreed with the judgement inthe self-assessment report that teaching isparticularly good. Of the lessons observed, mostwere good or outstanding. Inspectors alsoagreed with the self-assessment report thatteachers use a variety of appropriate teachingmethods. They ask the students well-directedand demanding questions to sustain theirinterest and make sure they understand whatthey are learning. In all lessons, students weremade aware of the learning objectives. Lessonswere lively and had a sense of momentum.Teachers met individual students’ learningneeds. In a particularly good lesson, students ona GNVQ advanced course worked effectively ingroups preparing fictitious, detailed plans forthe introduction of a new motor vehicle course.The teacher summarised the plans of eachgroup successfully through the good use of barcharts. Office technology workshops are used

effectively. Business administration studentsworked confidently through various IT learningpackages. They demonstrated that they wereable to work responsibly and effectively on theirown, and at their own pace. In business studieslessons, teachers made good use of examplesfrom the local and regional economy to illustratetopics. In some lessons, teachers did not check ifstudents had kept a written record of what theyhad learnt. Sometimes, they allowed insufficienttime for students to reflect before responding toquestions. In a few lessons, the teacher talkedtoo much, did not ask any questions and thestudents were clearly bored. These weaknesseswere not acknowledged in the self-assessmentreport. The teaching and assessment of keyskills are carried out well on GNVQprogrammes. In GCE A level business studies,key skills are not an integral part of coursecontent. In its self-assessment report, the collegeacknowledges that the use of IT by students inassignments and coursework is underdeveloped.

18 As identified in the self-assessment report,courses are well planned and effectivelymanaged. Course documentation is wellorganised. Thorough schemes of work andlesson plans identify appropriate objectives,activities and learning outcomes. Assessmentprocedures are fair and applied consistently.Inspectors agreed with the self-assessmentreport that there are exemplary internalverification procedures. On GNVQ and businessadministration courses, curriculum managementissues are effectively addressed throughinformal discussions or by regular meetings thatare minuted. Inspectors agreed with the self-assessment report that there are few formalmeetings of the GCE A level accounting andbusiness studies teams in order to prepare forthe implementation of curriculum 2000. On theGNVQ business and GCE A level accounting andbusiness studies courses, links with employersare inadequate, there is no work experienceprogramme, and guest speakers are seldominvited to address the students and give them a

Halesowen College

9

Curriculum Areas

perspective on the world of work. Links withemployers on the business administrationcourse are good, and many full-time studentshave work experience placements.

19 In seven lessons, the late arrival of studentsadversely affected teaching and learning.Students’ attendance on the GNVQ intermediatecourse has been consistently poor. Theseweaknesses were not identified in the self-assessment report. Most students’ written workis of a high standard. The portfolios of studentson the GNVQ intermediate and advancedcourses are well presented. Their contentsindicate that the students have acquired anappropriate range of skills. Students’ work ismarked and returned quickly. Spelling andgrammatical errors are corrected but someteachers’ written feedback on GNVQassignments is insufficiently detailed. In 1999,the student achievement rate on the GNVQadvanced business studies course wasexceptional, at 98%. Pass rates on the GCE Alevel accounting course for 1999 were above thenational average for the sector. In 1997, 1998and 1999 pass rates on the diploma in medicalsecretarial studies were significantly above thenational average. Between 1998 and 1999,retention rates on the majority of courses wereat, or above, the national average for the sector.

20 The business studies teachingaccommodation consists of modern andappropriately sized classrooms. Business studiesstaff use display material well in rooms toestablish a strong curriculum area identity and apleasant learning environment. In its self-assessment report, the college failed toacknowledge that the stock of books, journals,videos and CD-ROMs in the learning centre isinsufficient. There are not enough appropriatevideos for teachers and students to use inlessons. Students use the Internet for researchwork on assignments effectively, and in sodoing, they develop their investigative skills.There are not enough relevant Internetdirectories for students.

Halesowen College

10

Curriculum Areas

Halesowen College

11

Curriculum Areas

Type of qualification Level Numbers and Completion year

outcome 1997 1998 1999

OCR wordprocessing 1 Number of starters 65 71 41Retention (%) 83 86 78Achievement (%) 96 66 94

OCR shorthand 1 Number of starters 21 22 19Retention (%) 71 55 47Achievement (%) 90 50 89

Association of Accounting 2 Number of starters 23 36 25Technicians foundation Retention (%) 65 81 72

Achievement (%) 50 40 75

GNVQ intermediate 2 Number of starters 34 38 37business studies Retention (%) 88 84 76

Achievement (%) 100 69 86

GCE A level business 3 Number of starters 117 153 95studies Retention (%) 88 93 74

Achievement (%) 80 83 79

GCE A level accounting 3 Number of starters 42 49 37Retention (%) 86 94 81Achievement (%) 64 43 80

GNVQ advanced 3 Number of starters 118 96 57business studies Retention (%) 85 82 74

Achievement (%) 100 91 98

Diploma in medical 3 Number of starters 49 40 60secretarial studies Retention (%) 92 90 90

Achievement (%) 95 86 93

Source: ISR (1997 and 1998), college 1999

A summary of retention and achievementrates in business studies, 1997 to 1999

Health and Social Car e

Grade 221 Inspectors observed 13 lessons. Theyagreed with many of the strengths andweaknesses in the self-assessment report.They found several strengths and weaknesses,however, that the college had not identified.

Key strengths

• students’ high achievement rates on somecourses

• students’ success in progressing to highereducation from the GNVQ advancedcourse

• wide range of work experienceopportunities for students

• responsiveness to the needs of adultlearners

Weaknesses

• declining retention and achievement rateson the GNVQ intermediate course

• insufficient development of students’ keyskills

• a few poor classrooms

22 The college offers a range of full-time andpart-time provision from level 1 to 3.Recruitment to childcare courses has shown asteady increase in the last three years. On thediploma for nursery nurses course, maturestudents are timetabled for a shortened day tohelp them meet domestic commitments. Theintroduction of a pre-school learning coursemeets a need for professional updating ofchildcare workers. The college also offerscourses leading to NVQs in childcare andeducation at levels 2 and 3.

23 Inspectors agreed with the judgement inthe self-assessment report that teaching andlearning in this curriculum area constituted astrength. In the better lessons, students were

given a range of demanding and vocationallyrelevant activities. For example, in one lesson,mature students were presented with a numberof behavioural problems involving children withlearning difficulties and/or disabilities and theywere asked to say how they would resolve them.Students worked in pairs, drawing on theirknowledge of child development and theirexperience in work placements. Possible causesof the child’s behaviour were identified andways of dealing with it were proposed. Theteacher moved around the group, checkingunderstanding, challenging assumptions andhighlighting ethical considerations. In some lesseffective lessons, teachers failed to check thatstudents understood what they were beingtaught. In others, they failed to make sure thatthe learning tasks were appropriatelydifferentiated to take account of the range ofstudents’ abilities and aptitudes.

24 Assignments and lesson plans for allcourses indicate that students will develop keyskills but in practice, these are not coveredeffectively during lessons. Well-plannedvocationally relevant assignments are includedin each course handbook. Students are clearabout the assessment process and the appealsprocedure. Assignments are fairly assessed.Teachers’ written feedback gives clear guidanceon how students may improve their work. Thereis a robust internal verification system. Studentretention and achievement rates on GNVQintermediate courses are below the nationalaverage for the sector. Student achievementrates on the national diploma childhood studiescourse have been significantly above thenational average for the last three years, and in1997 all students were successful. Studentachievement rates on the GNVQ advanced healthand social care course have been high for thelast three years. The proportion of students whoprogressed to higher education from the GNVQadvanced health and social care course in 1999was significantly higher than the average for thesector.

Halesowen College

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Curriculum Areas

25 Courses are managed effectively. Staffmonitor the quality of provision by obtainingfeedback from students, both formally andinformally. Where appropriate, action is taken.For example, students felt that their assignmentworkload was too heavy and dates for thecompletion of assignments were agreed. All full-time students and those part-time students withsubstantial timetables, receive weekly tutorials.Work to meet the needs of industry includes theintroduction of a course leading to an NVQ incare at level 2 for a group of care workers ofAsian origin from the voluntary sector. The self-assessment report notes the decline in studentnumbers on the GNVQ intermediate health andsocial care course.

26 As the self-assessment acknowledges, thecollege has strong links with a range ofemployers within the education, voluntary andhealth sectors. A well-structured workexperience programme is provided for allstudents. Comprehensive documentation onwork experience is provided for work placementproviders and students at the beginning of theyear. Meetings are held each term to updatework placement providers on changes to thecurriculum. Students are encouraged to draw ontheir work experience in lessons and theirassignment work, to relate theory to practice.

2 7 All courses have their own specialist ro o m s .The better rooms are large enough to enableg roups of students to use a variety of appro p r i a t eequipment easily and move about fre e l y. Theequipment includes a ‘hospital area’ andc h i l d c a re equipment reflecting the ethnicity ofthe local community. A few classrooms are toosmall. In these, the students are cramped andthe range of learning activities they can carry outis narrowly restricted. For example, in one ro o mused for craft sessions there is little space, nosink and no storage area for equipment. Theself-assessment re p o rt identified as a weakness,the paucity of learning materials on counsellingin childcare and the college has purchased someadditional and appropriate texts.

Halesowen College

13

Curriculum Areas

Halesowen College

14

Curriculum Areas

Type of qualification Level Numbers and Completion year

outcome 1997 1998 1999

Basic first aid 1 Number of starters 113 82 123Retention (%) 96 95 99Achievement (%) 90 88 97

Basic counselling 2 Number of starters 89 84 78Retention (%) 92 96 99Achievement (%) 69 91 81

GNVQ intermediate 2 Number of starters 36 43 34health and social care Retention (%) 72 79 65

Achievement (%) 81 76 64

GNVQ advanced health 3 Number of starters 40 44 51and social care Retention (%) 75 77 80

Achievement (%) 77 74 80

CACHE diploma in 3 Number of starters * 32 44nursery nursing Retention (%) * 88 80

Achievement (%) * 89 84

National diploma 3 Number of starters 44 45 50childhood studies Retention (%) 86 32 76

Achievement (%) 100 97 97

Source: ISR (1997 and 1998), college (1999) *course did not run

A summary of retention and achievementrates in health and social care, 1997 to 1999

English and Communications

Grade 228 Inspectors observed 12 lessons. Theyagreed with the judgements in the self-assessment report. They found one weaknessthe college had not identified.

Key strengths

• much good and some outstandingteaching

• provision of extra learning support forstudents at all levels

• students’ high retention and achievementrates on all GCSE and GCE A level coursesin 1999

• effective curriculum management

• good variety of extra-curricular activities

• wide range of learning resources

Weaknesses

• students’ poor achievement rates in 1998

• failure to specify aims and objectives inschemes of work and lesson plans

29 The English and communication coursesare well managed. Teachers work well togetheras a team to develop the courses and learningresources. Team meetings take place regularly.Students are involved in the thorough coursereview process, which has led to manyimprovements. Recent additions to the range offull-time and part-time courses offered haveincluded a short course in creative writing and aGCSE English course on Saturday mornings. Anextensive range of extra-curricular activities isavailable to English and communicationstudents. These activities include visits to thetheatre and poetry readings, talks from visitingspeakers, and the production of a studentmagazine on the college intranet.

30 Much of the teaching is good and some isoutstanding. As identified in the self-assessment

report, teachers use a variety of appropriateteaching methods to excite the students’ interestand to further the students’ skills, knowledgeand understanding. For example, in a GCE Alevel English lesson, students worked in smallgroups on aspects of the language essay, such asplot, title, opening and character description.Each group presented its work to the rest of theclass. Through the sharing of their ideas and thediscussion of common problems, the studentslearnt a great deal about writing technique fromone another. An Easter school is organised forGCE A level English students who are predictedto achieve high grades. Of those who attended in1999, 82% achieved a high grade. Extra lessonsare provided for students in danger of failing,and a ‘drop-in’ workshop is held every week forthose students needing extra help with anyaspect of their course. Schemes of work aredetailed and presented in a standard format.The self-assessment report failed toacknowledge, however, that schemes of workand lesson plans fail to specify aims andobjectives. Teachers mark students’ workaccurately and carefully, and they includeconstructive comments to help the studentsimprove their performance.

31 The quality of most students’ work is good.Students are punctual, attentive in lessons andcontribute well to discussion. In English andcommunications lessons, students help oneanother. When working together, they respectand value each others’ views. The schemes ofwork for GCE A level courses specify ways inwhich students may be assessed in the key skillsof communication through their mainstreamcoursework. Staff are confident that manystudents will achieve key skills certification atlevel 3 during the current year. As the self-assessment report recognises, the studentretention rates on GCSE and GCE A levelcourses are good. For the past three years, theyhave been close to or above the nationalaverages for the sector. As acknowledged in theself-assessment report, student achievement

Halesowen College

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Curriculum Areas

rates on all the GCSE and GCE A level coursesoffered apart from the GCE A level Englishliterature course, were significantly below thenational average in 1998. In 1999, however,student achievement rates on all the GCSE andGCE A level courses were in line with, or above,the national average. For example, 86% ofstudents on the one-year GCE A level Englishcourse passed, compared with a sector averageof 66%. On the two-year GCE A level Englishcourse, 97% of the students passed comparedwith a sector average of 86%. The pass rate forGCE A level English literature has beenconsistently high at between 97% and 100%over the past three years. As the collegerecognised in the self-assessment report,however, the percentage of students passingwith high grades was below the nationalaverage. The college has taken steps to addressthis weakness.

32 The college has particularly good learningresources for English and communication. Theseinclude audio and videotapes, CD-ROMs, accessto the Internet, resource packs and study guides.

The college intranet includes a GCE A levelEnglish revision site. The library has a goodcollection of up-to-date and appropriate texts forEnglish and communications, including anextensive fiction section. Full-time students, andin many cases part-time students, are providedwith set books and other essential texts by thecollege.

Halesowen College

16

Curriculum Areas

Type of qualification Level Numbers and Completion year

outcome 1997 1998 1999

GCSE English language 2 Number of starters 146 243 174Retention (%) 83 77 76Achievement (%) 54 24 57

GCE A level communication 3 Number of starters 77 89 71studies Retention (%) 87 90 76

Achievement (%) 89 65 83

GCE A level English 3 Number of starters 209 180 203language and literature Retention (%) 92 82 82

Achievement (%) 87 62 96

GCE A level English 3 Number of starters 40 55 40literature Retention (%) 85 89 82

Achievement (%) 97 100 97

Source: ISR (1997 and 1998), college (1999)

A summary of retention and achievementrates in English and communications, 1997 to 1999

History, Sociology andPsychology

Grade 333 Inspectors observed 12 lessons. Theyagreed with some of the strengths andweaknesses identified in the self-assessmentreport but found additional strengths andweaknesses.

Key strengths

• some effective course management

• stimulating and well-planned teaching

• exceptional subject support for students

• collaborative and confident group work bystudents

• particularly good learning materials

Weaknesses

• failure to share good practice betweensubjects

• decline in student achievement andretention rates on some courses

• low pass rate in GCE A level psychology

• low percentage of A to C grades at GCE Alevel

34 The college offers GCE A level courses inhistory, psychology and sociology for full-timestudents and a part-time evening course in GCEA level psychology. Inspectors agreed with theself-assessment report that courses are wellmanaged. Regular staff meetings are held. Theyare minuted and dates are set for thecompletion of actions. Targets are set. Studentachievement and retention rates are monitored.Staff are self-critical. They identify action forimproving provision and carry it out. Staff whoteach the same subject share good practice.They do not, however, share this good practicewith staff who teach other humanities subjects.Students participate in course reviews and teammeetings. Their suggestions are acted upon. For

example, changes have been made to teachingand learning methods.

35 New students attend ‘familiarisation days’in June. Subject induction activities includeintroductions to study skills and the library.Students on some courses are not given coursehandbooks. Inspectors agreed with the self-assessment report that there is excellent supportfor students in their subjects. Good practice inproviding support includes learning workshops,the identification of ‘at risk’ students, and thecelebration of students’ good attendance. Staffalso provide individual students with goodsupport informally.

3 6 The teaching is well planned and much of itis lively and imaginative. Schemes of work donot identify learning outcomes but some teachersidentify those on their lesson plans. Inspectorsa g reed with the finding in the self-assessmentre p o rt that most teachers use a range of variedand appropriate teaching methods to excite andhold the students’ interest. Teachers givestudents learning tasks they find stimulating,demanding and enjoyable. In a GCE A levelpsychology lesson, students studied lonely heart scolumns to identify the characteristics of peoplewho placed entries in them, before looking atD u n b a r’s study. In the best lessons, studentsdisplay initiative and enterprise in the way theyc a rry out their tasks and they organise and usetheir time well. A group of students pre p a red ahandout with gaps in it which had to becompleted. They showed the other students howto use it. They then made sure that the rest ofthe class clearly understood the entries on thecompleted handout. In many lessons, studentsa re encouraged to engage in collaborative gro u pwork and they work confidently and sensitivelywith one another. In the less effective lessons,students were given work which was notdemanding enough. Good-quality learn i n gmaterials are effectively used includingassignments to pilot key skills. Students makeeducational visits and receive talks from visitingspeakers.

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Curriculum Areas

37 The course team’s reviews thatcomplemented the self-assessment reportidentified the decline in retention rates as aweakness. Retention rates on all GCE A levelcourses are above the national average for thesector, but have declined consistently over threeyears. Retention rates on GCSE courses arebelow the national average. In general, thestudent achievement rates on GCSE and GCE Alevel courses are close to, or above, the nationalaverage. In the last two years, however, the passrate on the one-year GCE A level course hasfallen well below the national average. Many ofthe students on this course are aiming primarilyto obtain a GNVQ and they are working towardsGCE A level psychology as an additionalqualification in one year. The course teamreview in history acknowledged students’ poorexamination results in 1999 as a weakness, butthis judgement was not reflected in the college’sself-assessment report. In 1998, the pass rate onthe two-year GCE A level psychology course waspoor. The course team took action to improvestudents’ results and the pass rate was higher in1999. Course teams have taken action to haltdeclining retention rates. They aim to improvestudent achievement rates by settingappropriate targets for the proportion ofstudents gaining grade C and above in GCE Alevel. With the exception of students on the GCEA level sociology course, the proportions ofstudents who obtained grade C and above inGCE A level subjects in 1998, were below thenational average.

38 Students’ coursework is satisfactory, andsome is good. More recently, students have beenusing IT increasingly in the work. Students’work is marked fairly and quickly returned.Teachers usually go through the students’ workin class and provide individual students withfeedback on their performance. Studentsdemonstrate high levels of competence in oralwork and sensitivity to ethical issues. Moststudents progress to appropriate employment orto higher education.

39 Teachers are well qualified. Inspectorsagreed with the finding in the self-assessmentreport that most base rooms provide goodfacilities but that a few are small, particularlythose used on psychology courses. Visualdisplays of students’ work are lively andamusing. There are sufficient opportunities forstudents to use IT. Sometimes the learningcentre is overcrowded and too noisy.

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Curriculum Areas

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Curriculum Areas

Type of qualification Level Numbers and Completion year

outcome 1997 1998 1999

GCSE psychology 2 Number of starters 19* 28 13*and sociology Retention (%) 58 39 54

Achievement (%) 64 45 71

GCE A level history 3 Number of starters 76 65 60Retention (%) 93 89 81Achievement (%) 70 70 67

GCE A level psychology 3 Number of starters 129 158 146(two-year course) Retention (%) 89 85 78

Achievement (%) 65 56 65

GCE A level psychology 3 Number of starters 35 20 7(one-year course) Retention (%) 80 75 71

Achievement (%) 61 40 20

GCE A level sociology 3 Number of starters 100 94 94(two-year course) Retention (%) 94 85 76

Achievement (%) 65 82 70

Source: ISR (1997 and 1998), college (1999) *psychology only in 1997 and 1999

A summary of retention and achievementrates in histor y, sociology and psychology ,1997 to 1999

Basic Skills

Grade 340 Inspectors observed 11 lessons. Theyagreed with many of the judgements in theself-assessment report. They considered somestrengths were overestimated, however, andthey found some weaknesses the college hadnot identified.

Key strengths

• teachers’ effectiveness in helping studentsto work on their own

• detailed records of students’ learning andachievements

• responsiveness of staff to students’ needs

• wide range of resources

Weaknesses

• insufficient co-ordination of basic skillsprovision across the college

• limited options for accreditation

• some poor practice

• some inappropriate accommodation

41 Discrete basic skills programmes aredelivered at the study centre which relocated tothe Whittingham Road site in 1999. Thisprovision is part of a curriculum area alsoresponsible for a pre-GCSE adult foundationprogramme, GNVQ foundation courses, andcourses for students with learning difficultiesand/or disabilities. The learning supportservice also provides students with help inliteracy and numeracy. The learning supportservice and the study centre are managed bytwo different senior managers. Most of theadditional learning support is at level 2 orabove. Students on some courses receive helpwith the key skills of communication andapplication of number at level 1. In its self-assessment report, the college acknowledgesthat it offers little provision in basic skills. It

plans to increase this provision as part of itsplans for widening participation.

42 Students who so wish may have theirachievements in basic skills accredited in thestudy centre through National Open CollegeNetwork (NOCN) units. Few do so and managersare considering other ways of recognisingstudents’ attainment in basic skills.

43 Inspectors agreed with the judgement inthe self-assessment report that most basic skillsteaching is good. Working purposefully bythemselves, or in groups, students carry outappropriate and relevant tasks. Teachers offerhelp but encourage the students to learn to workon their own. Activities are carefully planned sothat students can work through them a step at atime. Teachers motivate students to achievefurther success by giving them justified praisewhen they complete work. Teachers markstudents’ work constructively and fairly. Thestudents themselves say how much they havelearnt. Their work files and their achievement ofcourse units and modules are testimony to theirsuccess. Students who have not sought externalaccreditation are awarded college certificates ifthey have met the requisite standards. All theteachers of basic skills respond effectively tostudents’ needs. On the GNVQ foundationcourse, care is taken to ensure that studentsreceive help with literacy and numeracy at theright level. On the basis of their performance ininitial assessment, students are placed indifferent sets before they begin theircommunication and application of numbermodules. These sets are smaller groups thanthose for other parts of the GNVQ programme.Groups needing the most support are taught bybasic skills specialists from the learning supportservice. There are comprehensive systems forrecording students’ progress and achievements.Teachers who work with the students in thestudy centre maintain detailed records of thestudents’ work. As the self-assessment reportacknowledges, however, there is a need for basic skills provision across the college to be

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Curriculum Areas

co-ordinated more effectively. Inspectorsconsidered that an analysis of retention andachievement rates using ISR data would not givea realistic indication of students’ progress in thiscurriculum area, and a table has not beenincluded in this report.

44 The varied and diverse resources in thestudy centre meet students’ needs and enablethe students to use learning styles which suitthem. IT facilities include basic skills software.Talking books, readers, key skills studypackages, other worksheets, textbooks andreference materials are available to bothstudents and teachers. Using a questionnaire,‘Workright’ students carried out a surveyeffectively in the college to generate data fortheir mathematics tasks. Good practice in basicskills provision is not shared across curriculumareas. For example, staff in one curriculum areawere uncertain how to gather evidence ofstudents’ increased self-confidence, whilst staffin another area were producing such evidencethrough observation of the students’ work,witness testimony and videotape of the students’performance. Some learning materials arewritten in clear language. Others are not,however, and have unsuitable layout andinappropriate content. They also contain errorsof English.

45 Most provision takes place in appropriateaccommodation. A few rooms, however, are notsuitable for the teaching of basic skills. Thestudy centre is open plan in design. Individualstudents working on their own in the centre findit noisy when classes are taking place there. Atthe Walton campus, the room where learningsupport is provided is bleak and uninviting.These weaknesses in the accommodation foradditional learning support were not identifiedin the self-assessment report.

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Curriculum Areas

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Cross-college Provision

Support for Students

Grade 246 Inspectors agreed with many of thejudgements in the self-assessment report.They found some additional weaknesses.

Key strengths

• good pre-entry guidance for students

• effective enrolment and inductionprocedures

• good tutorial provision

• comprehensive facilities for careersguidance

Weaknesses

• ineffective recording of students’ progress

• poor action plans for improving students’performance

47 Inspectors agreed with the self-assessmentreport that the college provides prospectivestudents with good pre-course information andguidance. Potential students are informed of therange and content of courses at open days,‘taster’ events, in publicity materials and atinterview. Care is taken to ensure students areplaced on a course at a level appropriate to theirneeds and abilities. The college has clear entrycriteria for each course. Staff provide furtherguidance to potential students who do not havethe necessary qualifications for a particularcourse. All potential students for full-time andpart-time courses receive an interview. Thoseunsure about which courses to study arereferred for a guidance interview and, ifappropriate, they are advised to enrol onsuitable provision elsewhere. The college uses avariety of well-established recruitment methodsincluding a substantial programme of visits tolocal schools, advertising in newspapers and atthe cinema and through the college website.Publicity material is attractive and informative

and takes account of curriculum 2000. Theadmissions procedures are good.

48 As acknowledged in the self-assessmentreport and the previous inspection report, theenrolment and induction process is good. Staffare provided with training in, and useful writtenguidance for, enrolment and induction. All full-time students, and where appropriate part-timestudents, have an induction programme. Theyare given helpful written information on collegefacilities and services, including the welcomepack, the student handbook and the charter.Most students find that enrolment is efficientand that induction is informative and helpsthem to settle into their work at college. Atenrolment, the college makes further checks toensure that students have chosen a coursesuitable to their requirements.

49 The standard of tutorials is good. Studentsfind tutors helpful and supportive. All full-timeand most part-time students have a personaltutor. Students on short courses may makeappointments with senior tutors and requesttutorial support. Students receive both individualand group tutorials. Teachers regularly receivetraining, briefings and guidance on tutoring.They are given tutorial materials. The collegehas an established system for monitoring andreviewing students’ progress. The self-assessment report, however, failed toacknowledge that the written records onstudents’ progress do not include a clear reporton students’ strengths, or indicate whenstudents need further help. Action plans toimprove students’ performance are insufficientlyspecific and they are often unclear. They seldominclude measurable targets or specify dates bywhich these must be carried out. In a fewinstances, the plans are not implemented.

50 The range of additional learning supportservices is adequate. Students receive help withcommunications, numeracy, study skills and IT.The college provides a range of adaptedmaterials, equipment, IT and specialist support

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services to meet students’ individual learningrequirements. Students can obtain supportthrough timetabled group sessions, individualappointments or by calling at the study centre.All full-time and most part-time students aregiven initial screening in literacy and numeracy.In addition, tutors can refer students, andstudents can refer themselves, for support.Recording of progress of the students receivingadditional support is thorough but individuallearning plans for students lack detail and donot have targets for the completion of work.

5 1 As the self-assessment re p o rt re c o g n i s e s ,the college provides good support for studentsapplying for higher education or employment.The careers area is well re s o u rced. It iso rganised effectively with up-to-date inform a t i o nincluding software packages, books, guides,videos and university and college pro s p e c t u s e s .Full-time and some part-time students receive ac o m p rehensive programme of careers educationincluding guidance on higher education, gapyears, employment and further training. Otherp a rt-time students have the opportunity ofc a reers guidance through appointments with thecollege careers adviser or the local care e r ss e rvice. Other helpful services include a re g u l a r l yupdated job board giving part-time and full-timejob vacancies, talks from local universities and aguide to Internet sites giving employmenti n f o rmation. The college holds an annual care e r sfair which employers and higher educationp roviders support. The college has a part n e r s h i pa g reement with the local careers service whoseadvisers provide individual guidance interv i e w sand give careers talks. They also counselstudents who have been identified at risk ofleaving their course early. After the publication ofexamination results, the college offers guidanceon courses and career options to pro s p e c t i v estudents aged 16 to 18, and their pare n t s .

52 The college offers a number of otherservices to students. Qualified counsellorsprovide a counselling service and this is wellused. Students are referred to external agencies

if appropriate. Counsellors receive supervision.The college provides childcare facilities forstudents who have children aged from two tofive. Students who used these facilities said theymet their needs. Students who are parentsreceive financial assistance through the accessfund to engage childminders. As the self-assessment report acknowledges, the collegeoffers students a narrow range of curriculumenrichment activities.

General Resources

Grade 253 Inspectors agreed with most of thejudgements in the self-assessment report.

Key strengths

• the development of new accommodation

• well-maintained buildings and grounds

• accessible, up-to-date computers forstudents and staff

• effective management of IT resources

• ease of access to accommodation forstudents with restricted mobility

Weaknesses

• shortcomings in the accommodation onone campus

• inadequate social, recreational andsporting facilities

54 Since the last inspection, significantimprovements have been made to theaccommodation and learning resources. Forexample, two years ago a large and well-planned teaching block was completed and thiscontains good learning resources. Manytemporary buildings were removed at the sametime. There are two campuses: WhittinghamRoad and Walton. The campus at WhittinghamRoad is attractively designed. Care has beentaken to match new teaching blocks with theoriginal buildings. Use of the Walton campus has

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Cross-college Provision

been regularly reviewed and account has beentaken of the resources needed for teaching thesubjects offered there. However, the Waltonaccommodation has several deficiencies and thecollege is in the process of selling it. A newcollege site is being developed at Coombs Wood.An IT learning centre offering electroniccommerce facilities, six large teaching rooms,and a cyber café will be based on this site.Courses also are run at 14 centres away fromthe college, five of which are in local schools.

55 Inspectors agreed with the finding in theself-assessment report that the college is wellmaintained. All areas of the college are cleanand tidy. The college has a comprehensive long-term maintenance programme. Theaccommodation is well used. The quality of thebuildings varies considerably and someaccommodation is poor. The accommodation onthe Whittingham Road campus is modern andstaff can use it flexibly for a variety of purposes.Rooms are well decorated and furnishings aregood. At the Walton campus, theaccommodation is less attractive but satisfactory.Heating, repair and maintenance costs are highat Walton. On both campuses, some roomsbecome excessively warm at times, many staffrooms are too small and they have insufficientstorage space to meet teachers’ requirements.

56 The learning resource and library centre atWhittingham Road is located in a newly builtteaching block that provides a comprehensiverange of learning resources. The centre isappropriately sized, and learning resources arewell organised. Hours of opening during theweek and at weekends meet students’ needs. Inits self-assessment report, the collegeacknowledges that liaison between the libraryand curriculum areas needs to be improved.Some action has been taken to improve it, but itis too early to judge whether this will beeffective. Spending on library resources isadequate. The centre is often noisy. At times,students use it inappropriately for socialisingrather than studying.

57 Inspectors agreed with the finding in theself-assessment report that staff and studentshave good access to IT facilities. The college hasinvested regularly in purchasing new computersand replacing older machines. It has built up alarge provision of modern up-to-date computers,and appropriate software. The college has over500 computers and a well-developed, recentlyenhanced computer network. The library andlearning resources centre at Whittingham has80 open access computers and there are moreat the Walton campus. Staff have good access tocomputers. A high proportion of staff haveelectronic mail facilities and access to theInternet. The IT and network support teamsdeal quickly with calls for help and ensure thatthe computer network operates effectively. Thedevelopment of the college’s IT facilities iseffectively managed. Using carefully chosenperformance indicators, the college reviews theeffectiveness of its IT services. The college has acomprehensive strategy for promoting the use ofIT in all aspects of its work.

58 The self-assessment report acknowledgesthat students do not have access to adequatesports and recreational facilities. There are noindoor sports or fitness facilities at the collegeand alternative community facilities are somedistance from the campuses. There is littleprovision in the curriculum for students in theareas of sports and leisure. Social areas are wellkept but they are bare, lacking in comfort andcontain few recreational facilities. Refectoryprovision has been improved. The refectories onboth campuses are overcrowded at peak times.The nursery is located in well-designed andmodern accommodation. It is highly valued byparents. Students with disabilities can gainaccess to almost all areas of the college. Chairlifts, dropped pavement kerbs and ramps areprovided where necessary. All social areas andlearning facilities are accessible but small partsof two teaching areas at Walton are not easilyaccessible to persons in wheelchairs.

Quality Assurance

Grade 259 Inspectors agreed with many of thestrengths and weaknesses in the self-assessment report but considered that somehad been overstated.

Key strengths

• culture of continuous improvement

• well-developed system for target-settingand performance monitoring

• rigorous course reviews

• effective lesson observation programme

• thorough process for auditing the qualityof provision

Weaknesses

• insufficiently developed use of value-added analysis

• inadequate arrangements for obtainingand using feedback from employers andstudents

• underdeveloped arrangements for thequality assurance of business supportareas

60 Inspectors agreed with the finding in theself-assessment report that the college iscontinuously seeking to improve its qualityassurance systems. The college has a strategicaim to improve students’ achievements everyyear. It sets itself demanding standards andtargets and carefully monitors its progresstowards reaching these. The annual qualityassurance and self-assessment process is wellunderstood by staff. Within the last year, fourcurriculum quality managers have beenappointed to co-ordinate improvement of thequality of provision. During the last four years,student achievement rates on all courses, exceptshort courses, have been above the nationalaverage for the sector. In 1997-98, some

achievement rates fell. Action was taken toimprove students’ achievements and someachievement rates have improved. The self-assessment report acknowledges that qualityassurance processes in business support areasare less well developed.

61 Using national benchmarking data, theacademic board standards committee initiallysets targets for student retention andachievement rates. Following consultation withcourse teams, the targets may be modified butthey are set at levels above that of the college’scurrent performance. The curriculum qualitymanagers regularly monitor student retentionand achievement rates on each course. Thecollege executive reviews performance on amonthly basis and it requires curriculum qualitymanagers to present action plans to rectifyweaknesses.

62 As the self-assessment report stated, theeffectiveness of the course review process is astrength of the college’s quality assuranceprocess. Course teams use clear guidelinesconsistently when reviewing courses. Thecomputerised information service is used togood effect. Data are carefully analysed andaction plans for the improvement of provisionare drawn up. The curriculum quality managersclosely monitor progress in implementing theseplans. Action resulting from course reviews hasled to a number of improvements. In its self-assessment report, the college acknowledgedthat there had been little systematic comparisonof the final achievements of students onvocational courses with qualifications thestudents held on entry, in order to calculate thevalue-added to their attainments. In practice,however, there is little value-added analysis ofthe achievements of students on any course,including GCE A level.

63 The work of the quality audit group iseffective. The group investigates a differentcourse or service each term and reports to theacademic board. The group is used to ensure

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that courses or services are thoroughly auditedand appropriate action is taken to improvethem. Internal verification arrangements atcourse level are robust. An internal audit has ledto the identification of good practice and therecommendation that this is implemented acrossthe college. Managers monitor reports fromexternal verifiers carefully.

64 Views on the quality of provision aresought from a representative sample of studentsthree times a year. Some curriculum areascarry out their own surveys of students’opinions. The reports on the views of thestudents are not centrally analysed and there islittle evidence of them leading to improvements.The business support areas seldom seek theviews of those who use their services.Inspectors agreed with the finding in the self-assessment report that the views of employersare not sought sufficiently as a part of thequality assurance process.

65 The college has a well-structured andadequately resourced lesson observationprogramme. Findings from lesson observationsare taken into account in self-assessment and inidentifying ways of improving teaching. If ateacher’s performance is found to beunsatisfactory, an action plan to improve it,involving training is agreed with the teacher, theobserver and the line manager. The teacher isthen subject to subsequent observation,sometimes by other observers, until his or herteaching is judged to be at least satisfactory. Theself-assessment did not recognise this effectivelesson observation process as a strength.

66 All staff who teach for more than 100hours each year take part in the staffdevelopment, training and appraisal scheme.Staff who teach fewer hours can undertake aself-appraisal through which they identify theirtraining needs. The scheme operates on a two-year cycle. Findings from the lesson observationprocess are taken into account in the appraisalprocess and are used to identify the training

needs of staff. The support staff appraisalscheme operates on a one-year cycle and itcontains a clearer focus upon performancetargets than the teachers’ scheme.

67 The college has recently retained itsCharter Mark award. The college charter isincluded in the student handbook. A versionfor students with learning difficulties and/ordisabilities has been produced. The charter isnot produced in any of the languages of thelocal minority ethnic groups. There are noversions of the charter for employers orparents of students under the age of 18. Three times a year, the college monitors theextent to which it is meeting the targets andstandards to which it is committed by itscharter. Having met these for three successiveyears, the college has raised some of thestandards. The college has not, however, yetcarried out any overall review of theeffectiveness and impact of its charter.Complaints are monitored to identify trendsand to ensure that action is taken. Studentsunderstand the complaints procedures to befollowed. They are confident that action will betaken on their complaints.

68 External consultants, governors, theacademic board, senior staff, and course teamswere all involved in the production of the self-assessment report. In determining gradings,guidelines were used, national benchmarkingdata were studied and consideration was givento the extent to which the college had met itstargets. In particular, inspectors agreed withjudgements in the self-assessment reports atcourse level. They were unable, however, toagree with some of the findings in the self-assessment reports for programme areas.

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Governance

Grade 369 Inspectors and auditors agreed withsome of the strengths stated in the self-assessment report. They considered thatother strengths were overstated. They foundsome weaknesses that the college had notidentified.

Key strengths

• governors’ range of skills, experience andcommitment to the college

• appropriate committee structure andmembership

• effective monitoring of financial activities

Weaknesses

• inappropriate scheme of payments togovernors

• failure to provide adequate advice onpayments to governors

• some deficiencies in corporation andcommittee business

• underdeveloped monitoring of the qualityof provision

70 The FEFC’s audit service concludes that,within the scope of its assessment, thegovernance of the college is weak. The boarddoes not conduct its business in accordance withthe instrument and articles of government. Itdoes not fulfil its responsibilities under thefinancial memorandum with the FEFC.Governors have historically received paymentsfor their role on the corporation. Followingdetailed discussions, governors adopted aninappropriate scheme of payments based onexcessive mileage rates and subsistenceallowances. Governors were not advised againstthis practice. In approving a college budgetallowing for these payments the corporationauthorised an inappropriate use of public funds.

These weaknesses were not identified in theself-assessment report.

71 Inspectors agreed that collectively,governors have a broad range of skills andexperience and strong links with the community.Governors bring legal, personnel, financial, andeducational skills to the corporation. Governorstake a close interest in the college. Corporationand committee meetings are well attended.

72 A recent development has been the linkingof some governors with curriculum and cross-college areas. For example, one governor hasbeen linked to the basic skills area. Governorshave been involved in strategic planningthrough the strategic development committeeand have considered the college’s futuredevelopment at a residential conference. Theyagreed the key aims for the new strategic plan.They have supported the development of thecollege’s provision beyond the main sites towiden participation. Senior managers nowreport regularly to those corporation committeeswhere their expertise is appropriate.

73 Information on student recruitment,retention and achievement rates, anddestinations is regularly reported to thecorporation. There is little evidence fromcorporation minutes of very extensive discussionof issues related to the quality of provision butgovernors have received presentations fromcurriculum managers of areas with goodpractice. On occasions, the corporation hasasked for some explanation of poor results as itdid, for example, in the autumn of 1998.Recently, the curriculum and marketingcommittee has been reorganised with the aim ofenabling it to make closer scrutiny of qualityassurance issues before these are considered bythe full corporation, but it is too early to judgeits effectiveness. A governor attends meetings ofthe academic board as an observer. Governorshave also given detailed consideration to thefurther development of catering and engineeringeducation in the college.

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74 Governors have established nominationand appointment procedures and recently usedpublic advertising to attract new governors.Newly appointed governors receive acomprehensive range of induction materials.The college has yet to establish a formal processto identify the further training needs ofgovernors.

75The dates of board and committee meetingsare fixed one year in advance. As the self-assessment report states, the particular skillsand expertise of individual governors are takeninto account when making up the membershipof each committee. Some committees’ terms ofreference are not sufficiently detailed and, onoccasions, committees have acted beyond theirapproved remit. The minutes of committeemeetings are presented to the corporation. Theyare not, however, always accompanied by copiesof key documents the committee have discussed,and about which the corporation has to makedecisions. There have been occasions when thecorporation’s business has not been conductedin an appropriate order. These weaknesses werenot recognised in the self-assessment report.

76 The corporation has adopted sound policiesfor openness and accountability. The corporationregularly reviews a good range of policydocuments that include standing orders, thecode of conduct, and a ‘whistleblowing’ policy.Governors annually update a register of interestsand have established a register of gifts andhospitality received. Agendas, papers andminutes, except confidential items, are availablefor public inspection. Governors systematicallyevaluate their performance each year andmonitor their attendance, taking appropriateaction where necessary.

77 Governors are appreciative of the clerkingarrangements. Agendas and supporting papersare generally well prepared and circulated ingood time. The clerk serves all committees andreceives good administrative support. Minutingis clear but is sometimes not detailed enough.

78 As stated in the self-assessment report,inspectors agreed that governors are wellinformed about the college’s finances. Thecorporation has approved the college’s financialstrategy and key performance indicators. Allgovernors receive monthly managementaccounts. The finance and general purposescommittee formally considers the college’scomprehensive financial information, includingcompany activities. When making decisions, thecorporation gives careful consideration to theirfinancial implications.

Management

Grade 279 Inspectors agreed with many of thestrengths and some of the weaknesses statedin the self-assessment report. Theyconsidered, however, that some of thestrengths were no more than normal practiceand they found some weaknesses the collegehad not identified.

Key strengths

• effective communications

• good management information

• thorough attention to targets

• effective promotion of health and safety

• careful monitoring of staff resources

• prompt and comprehensive financialreporting

Weaknesses

• variable effectiveness of the newcurriculum management structure

• aspects of strategic planning

80 College management has been successful inachieving most of the targets set for the college.In general, student achievement and retentionrates have been above the average for thesector. The college recruits well and has been

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successful in achieving its funding targets. Thediversity of income has increased. Since the lastinspection, part-time work and work at centresaway from the college has grown. Health andbeauty courses have been introduced. Thesedevelopments have helped to widenparticipation.

81 The college’s current strategic plan hasuseful key objectives but contains little riskassessment. The plan is updated through annualoperating statements. Many of these are issuedbut they lack clear priorities. Managers do notcheck whether they are all implementedeffectively. As the self-assessment reportacknowledges, the strategic planning processdoes not involve all staff. Managers take thefindings of market research into account instrategic planning but not in the course approvalprocess.

82 The college has useful links with localorganisations, including the Dudley LifelongLearning Partnership, institutions of highereducation and community organisations. Somecourses for industry have been developed.Dudley Training and Enterprise Council (TEC)has commented favourably upon the college’sresponsiveness to local needs with initiativessuch as Saturday provision and the ‘over 50s’club. The college has been successful in securingfunding from the European Union for otherinitiatives, such as a new centre to meet the ‘e-commerce’ needs of local business.

83 The executive team consists of fivedirectors and the principal. There is a clearannual cycle of management meetings with well-planned agendas. The well-prepared minutesand papers for the executive team meetingsconcentrate on key issues. Changes in themanagement of the curriculum have beenimplemented, with the aim of giving greaterpriority to monitoring the quality of provisionand the performance of students. Curriculum co-ordinators are responsible for the deployment ofstaff and they serve as line managers for subject

and course leaders. Curriculum ‘qualitymanagers’ are responsible for monitoringaspects of performance such as studentachievement and retention rates. Course leadersreport to their managers on budgetary andquality matters. As the self-assessment reportacknowledges, these new arrangements formanaging the curriculum have not yet been fullyestablished. In some curriculum areas they workwell, but in others there is some confusion overwhere management responsibilities lie. Aworking group has carried out effective planningfor curriculum 2000 but not all staff are fullyaware of its implications.

84 The deployment and use of staff aremonitored carefully. The contact hours of full-time staff are checked regularly and the budgetfor part-time teachers is carefully managed.Where there is overstaffing, staff are retrainedfor work in other areas. A staff skills audit hasrecently been completed. Where it has beendifficult to recruit staff with particular expertise,for example in IT, the college has trained staff tofill the posts in question. Personnel issues arehandled well. A joint negotiating committeemeets regularly to ensure effective dialoguebetween governors, managers and staff.

85 Inspectors agreed with the self-assessmentreport that communications are a strength andthat dialogue between the senior and middlemanagement and staff has improved. Theprincipal regularly meets all staff. Seniormanagers attend team meetings and report backto the executive team on issues raised withthem. This ensures that key information iswidely disseminated. Staff value the regularlyproduced and informative college bulletin.Electronic mail is widely used.

86 Inspectors agreed with the finding in theself-assessment report that managementinformation is a strength, noted also in theprevious inspection. Many regular reports areproduced, such as those on the attendance ofindividual students at lessons. About 400

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Cross-college Provision

non-standard reports have been producedrecently to meet requests. On-line access tomanagement information is restricted tomanagers but most staff are able to obtain theinformation they want quickly. The accuracy andhelpfulness of reports have improved. Staff haveaccess to college policies, standard forms anddocuments such as the staff handbook, on thecollege intranet.

87 The FEFC’s audit service concludes that,within the scope of its review, the college’sfinancial management is adequate. Thecorporation was not appropriately advised and itadopted a policy which was incompatible withthe financial memorandum. In implementingthis policy, the college failed to secure theefficient use of public funds. On being told ofthis, the college took immediate correctiveaction. The college accountant is appropriatelyqualified and experienced. She is not a memberof the college executive team but regularlyattends when financial issues are discussed. Thefinance team is appropriately resourced andskilled. Budget setting procedures are clearlyspecified and involve college managers. Budgetholders receive detailed monthly reports.Comprehensive monthly management accountsare prepared in good time and are regularlyconsidered by the executive team andgovernors. The college has established a goodrange of financial performance indicators. Thefinancial system meets the college’s needs.

88 The effective promotion of health andsafety is a strength, not identified in the self-assessment report. There are comprehensiveand recently updated policies for the monitoringof health and safety. The principal chairs thehealth and safety committee which is alsoattended by two governors. Managers areregularly briefed on health and safety issues andannual reports are made to the corporation’spersonnel and site committees. All new staffreceive an induction session on, and part-timestaff receive a summary of, key health andsafety procedures. A programme of training in

risk assessment has been initiated. The numberof accidents has fallen.

89 The college has clear policies on equalopportunities and procedures for dealing withcomplaints. As the college acknowledged in itsself-assessment report, procedures formonitoring the effectiveness of these have notbeen fully established. An innovativearrangement involves members of the equalopportunities committee and subject and courseleaders working together to ensure thepromotion of equality of opportunity. Otherinitiatives include the recruitment of staff fromminority ethnic groups and managementtraining in relation to harassment.

Conclusions

90 The self-assessment report provided auseful basis for the inspection. Its productioninvolved staff, governors and externalconsultants. A detailed handbook on self-assessment with guidelines on grading wasprovided for staff in curriculum areas. The self-assessment report contained detailedinformation and clear action plans. Inspectorsagreed with most judgements in the self-assessment report although they consideredsome strengths had been overstated. They foundsome weaknesses the college had not identified.With the exception of one grade for an area ofcross-college provision, inspectors agreed withall the grades given in the self-assessmentreport. Overall, the grades inspectors awardedfor lessons were broadly similar to those thecollege awarded through its lesson observationprocess.

91 Strengths and weaknesses identified duringthe inspection are listed under each section ofthis report. The main strengths and weaknessesare identified in the summary.

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Cross-college Provision

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College Statistics

Student numbers by age (March 2000)

Age %

Under 16 7

16-18 years 28

19-24 years 7

25+ years 35

Not known 23

Total 100

Source: college data

Student numbers by level of study (March 2000)

Level of study %

Level 1 (foundation) 10

Level 2 (intermediate) 16

Level 3 (advanced) 34

Level 4/5 (higher) 2

Non-schedule 2 38

Total 100

Source: college data

Student numbers by mode of attendance andcurriculum area (March 2000)

Programme Full Part Total area time time provision

%

Science 476 417 15

Agriculture 44 14 1

Engineering 72 145 4

Business 346 1,584 32

Hotel and catering 193 195 7

Health and community care 294 392 12

Art and design 246 194 7

Humanities 592 609 20

Basic education 9 139 2

\Total 2,272 3,689 100

Source: college data

Widening participation

Based on a postcode analysis of 1995-96 ISRdata, the college recruited 25% of students fromdisadvantaged areas defined in relation to theDepartment of the Environment Index of LocalConditions.

Staff expressed as full-time equivalents(March 2000)

Perm- Fixed Casual Totalanent term

Direct learning contact 110 25 1 136

Supporting direct learning contact 42 4 1 47

Other support 107 12 1 120

Total 259 41 3 303

Source: college data, rounded to nearest full-time equivalent

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College Statistics

Three-year T rends

Financial data

1997 1998 1999

Income £8,472,000 £8,785,000 £9,137,000

Average level of funding (ALF) £18.85 £17.55 £17.10

Payroll as a proportion of income 68% 68% 68%

Achievement of funding target 105% 100% *

Diversity of income 19% 22% 23%

Operating surplus £93,000 £24,000 £42,000

Sources: Income – Council Circulars 98/43 (1997), 00/10 (1998), college (1999)ALF – Funding Allocations 1997-98 (1997 and 1998), Funding Allocations 1998-99 (1999)Payroll – Council Circulars 98/43 (1997), 00/10 (1998), college (1999)Achievement of funding target – Performance Indicators 1997-98 (1997 and 1998), college (1999)Diversity of income – Council Circulars 98/43 (1997), 00/10 (1998), college (1999)Operating surplus – Council Circulars 98/43 (1997), 00/10 (1998), college (1999)*data unavailable

Students’ achievements data

Level Retention Students aged 16 to 18 Students aged 19 or overand pass 1996 1997 1998 1996 1997 1998

1 Number of starters 56 158 121 797 803 840

Retention (%) 66 79 75 73 85 76

Achievement (%) 92 89 73 89 81 66

2 Number of starters 845 652 896 447 474 514

Retention (%) 80 82 75 72 82 78

Achievement (%) 67 66 73 83 82 71

3 Number of starters 1,724 2,320 2,337 465 514 605

Retention (%) 85 89 86 81 85 79

Achievement (%) 81 80 75 74 68 79

4 or 5 Number of starters 1 6 4 101 92 57

Retention (%) 0 50 100 100 89 95

Achievement (%) – 100 100 90 98 98

Short Number of starters 247 117 279 2,074 2,368 2,447

courses Retention (%) 97 94 56 95 94 91

Achievement (%) 94 67 81 78 57 48

Unknown/ Number of starters 109 31 777 345 310 243

unclassified Retention (%) 79 84 94 80 83 77

Achievement (%) 95 83 73 55 83 88

Source: ISR-ISR data not collected

Published by theFurther Education Funding Council

Website www.fefc.ac.uk© FEFC June 2000

FEFC Inspection Report 89/00