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WHOLE COLLEGE

SELF-ASSESSMENT REPORT

2011-12

December 2012

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CONTENTS

PAGES

INTRODUCTION 3-10

Context 3

Setting 4&5

The College 6

The Organisational Structure 7

Summary of the College’s Provision 8&9

OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS 10 OUTCOMES FOR LEARNERS 11-21 TEACHING LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT 22-30 LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT 31-39 APPENDICES 40-44

Quality of provision in curriculum areas 40

Quality of provision in service areas 41

Summary of success rates 42-44

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INTRODUCTION

Barnet and Southgate is a good College with very high aspirations and an

unswerving commitment to improve the lives of our learners and all stakeholders.

This self -assessment is the first since the mid-year merger on 1 November 2011.

We are proud that this SAR is a robust and challenging evaluation of our current

state of development and excited by the way it gives us a firm foundation for

future actions and targets. All areas of the College have contributed to this

process and good practice has been shared throughout the organisation.

CONTEXT

Barnet and Southgate College became one institution as a result of a strategic

merger which had been originally planned to take effect from July 2011. As it

was, delays to the final approval process meant that in the end the formal

creation only became effective from 1 November 2011. A mid-year merger is rare

and at the point of merger, the overriding concern was the stability of learning

programmes for our learners.

Due to various contractual and transitional issues agreed prior to merger, the new Principal and management team (Executive Leadership Group) did not take the reins until 1 March 2012. This is an important date as the ensuing four months saw an unprecedented level of activity including staff restructuring; development of a new strategic vision and implementation of new systems

The merger was the culmination of strategic discussions between the two separate organisations and reflected a desire to ensure the local learner stakeholder groups could be offered the best service and access to a wide range of courses and progression opportunities. The due diligence and strategic options review carried out by the Corporation identified many areas of synergy and mapping of the learner journey showed there to be many advantages of providing one, integrated, course offer. Other advantages included the ability to act strategically across two large local authority areas and offer a co-ordinated service to key stakeholders such as Job Centre Plus and the voluntary services.

The merger also enabled the College to review accommodation needs and take a radical step to improve the quality of the campus facilities. This had early success in that the College was able to quickly realign some catering provision from its Grahame Park campus to Southgate campus and “A” level provision in Southgate to the new flagship site at Wood Street.

At the same time, the newly formed Governing Corporation also reviewed its own

structure and worked very closely with the Executive Leadership Group to

develop a new Strategic Plan and commence a robust review of its own structure

and membership. This latter piece of work culminated in a decision to radically

alter the college’s governance arrangements and move to a new Policy

Governance model which embraces wider stakeholder involvement and

participation.

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SETTING

Barnet and Southgate College is located in the outer London Boroughs of Barnet and Enfield. It has three main sites across these boroughs and a further three dedicated training out centres dealing with ESOL, Art and Design and specialist automotive body and paint.

The two boroughs are large and collectively contain over 630,000 people. The local economies are mixed, with a focus on SME and micro businesses and a wide range of industrial/business centres. Barnet has a large retail focus, most notably with Brent Cross Shopping Centre, whilst Enfield has an emerging business concentration on logistics and distribution services. Both areas have an extensive range of food and hospitality outlets, plus technology and engineering based companies and are also well served with important and influential sporting centres such as :

o The Lea Valley Athletics Centre (training “home” to UK national track

teams;

o Saracens Premiership Rugby (new stadium in Barnet)

o Tottenham Hotspur Football Club (Training Complex based in

Enfield).

The College has well developed educational links with all three centres which has

enhanced and enriched the learner experience.

Demographically, the two boroughs are distinct; Barnet ranks 165th out of the 326 local authorities based on the IMD 2010 Average, whilst Enfield is ranked 63rd. This places Enfield just within the most deprived 20% of local authorities. From a London perspective, Enfield ranks in the top half of the most deprived authorities, despite pockets of great affluence. Enfield also features wards that rank among the most deprived for education and skills and generally, IMD 2010 shows that outer London boroughs contain the more areas of deprivation than inner London. 42% of Enfield’s’ populace is from a Black and Minority Ethnic grouping, whereas this falls to 31% for Barnet. Both authorities have crime and disorder hotspots, most notably Edmonton in Enfield and the Cricklewood area in Barnet.

The College is a major employer in both boroughs and is an outstanding contributor to local authority strategies for education, employment and social regeneration. During 2011/12, the College has made significant contributions to a range of initiatives from healthy eating and reducing obesity to raising the standard of STEM provision within schools through the showcasing of mechatronics technologies and the hosting of Bloodhound Supersonic Car.

The College’s development of an exclusive and innovative “Access to Employment” service to our 16-19 year old learners with REED ncfe is a first for London and a major help in the two borough’s strategies to tackle youth unemployment.

The College’s Senior Management represents the College on a comprehensive range of local authority strategic boards and wider, pan-London, advisory groups.

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The College’s new Strategic Plan encompasses local authority and employer aspirations.

The two boroughs have different levels of attainment and success within its schools. Barnet is considered to have some of the highest performing pupils within its schools whilst Enfield has pockets of high achievers. The College has developed excellent links with both authorities and a wide range of schools. This is referenced by the fact that the College is the largest recruiter of 14-16 placements within London, the majority coming from schools within Barnet and Enfield. The College has agreed strategic curriculum and business development links with one Academy in Enfield and currently assists the London Borough of Barnet in its quest to develop free and studio schools.

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THE COLLEGE

Barnet and Southgate College is a large General Further Education College delivering wide range of courses and qualifications to a very wide group of stakeholders. During 2011/12, the youngest learner was 11 and the eldest over 80.

With over 40,000 square metres of space, the College is extremely well placed to meet the needs of learners and employers. Public Transport links are excellent and at weekends, specific facilities are opened to the public. This included but was not limited to, a Children’s Saturday Cinema and public recreation facility known as “The Zone”.

The College is in a strong financial position and ended 2011/12 with a good operational surplus after taking into account the financial impact of merger and associated liabilities such as pensions etc. This financial strength has enabled the College to swiftly prioritise key infrastructure projects such as a capital project to build a new Centre of Excellence for Learners with Learning Difficulties and/or Disabilities and a major College campus re-location project in Hendon. The latter will be a major regeneration partnership that will involve the College building a new campus together with integrated public library facilities.

The merger has created a positive force for change and builds upon the upward and consistent trajectory of rising standards and results. The College’s vision is: ‘To be the most innovative, inspirational and employment focused learning organisation in the education sector’. The mission is to: ‘Provide outstanding learning and employment related opportunities within every market we operate and to offer the highest of expertise and knowledge which will enrich the personal and professional lives of our customers.’

The new Strategic Plan now has a clear focus on the following themes: o Quality and Standards o Jobs and Progression o Innovation and Inspiration

The College’s vision and mission are backed up with a set of guiding values designed to drive the College to new levels of performance over the coming years:

o Putting the learner first o Professionalism o Continuous Improvement o Teamwork o Challenging the norm o Equality and inclusiveness

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THE ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

Principal & Chief Executive

David Byrne

Job Title Director of Curriculum Development Director of Finance & Corporate Operations Director of Quality & Learner Experience Director of Organisational Development Director of Employer Partnerships

Post Holder Kit Davies Interim - Richard Allanach Toni Beck Lizzie Jones Tracey McIntosh

Key Functions Curriculum Teams Finance, Payroll & Financial KPIs Whole College quality Improvement HR Policies & Casework Franchising

International Curriculum Audit SAR / OFSTED / IQER Merger and System Integration Apprenticeships

Higher Education Development Facilties & Estates Management Corporate KPIs New Business Structures Employability Services

Curriculum Bids Capital Projects Equality & Diversity Marketing, Publicity & Communications Safeguarding

Adult & Community Learning ILR/MIS/Exams and Central IT Management of Change Educational sales

Additional Learning Support and LDD Risk Management Branding and Public Relations Business Development

Health & Safety Continuing Professional Development 3rd Party Compliance

Direct Head of Creative Industries Head of Finance Head of Quality & Learner Experience Head of Human Resources Head of Enterprise & Employment

Line Management Valerie Dresden Interim - Keith Oxspring Paul Barrow Lynne Moffat (Interim) Christian Nicolaides

Head of A Levels, GCSEs and Science Head of IT Development Learner Services Manager Head of Organisational Development Projects Employability Manager

Terence Thomas Sandie Patel Linda Julian Lynne Moffat Fiona Miller

Head of Construction Trades Head of MIS Teaching & Learning Manager Head of Marketing and Student Recruitment

Ewan Scott Vacant Deborah Eagle Elvie-Jo Shergold

Head of Foundation Learning Head of Accommodation Development Customer Services Manager

Peter Franklin Kevin McCooke Stephen Cullimore

Head of HESC Systems Development Manager Workforce Development Manager

Lisa Portland Koula Hadjipavlou Jacquie Higgs-Howson

Head of Leisure Industries IT Technical Manager

Laura Hall Stewart Harrison

Head of Business Industries Property Risk Manager

Ann Cleary Alan Carruthers

Procurement Manager

Head of Languages and International Curriculum Karim Meghani

Stella McManus

Management Accountant

Shyrose Mitha

Head of MV & Electrical Installation

Russell Surrey

Head of Supported Learning

Charles Nelson

LINE MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENTS

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SUMMARY OF THE COLLEGE’S PROVISION

The curriculum is organised into 10 departments, each managed by a Curriculum Head. Whilst these are closely aligned to Subject Sector Areas, there is some overlap between departments and some aspects of curriculum for example Personal and Social Development and Employability Skills are delivered across the College. The table below shows the Departments and the Subject sector Areas being delivered within the curriculum.

The College’s sub-contracted provision is managed separately by the Head of Enterprise and Employment. This department also co-ordinates the Job Centre plus provision and internal apprentices although responsibility for these programmes remains within curriculum departments.

Department Main Subject Sector Area

A Levels, GCSEs and Science 02 Science and Mathematics 2.1 Science 2.2 Mathematics and Statistics 06 Information and Communications Technology 6.2 ICT for Users 09 Arts, Media and Publishing 9.3 Media and Communications 10 History, Philosophy and Theology 10.1 History 11 Social Sciences 11.1 Sociology and Social policy 11.3 Politics 11.4 Economics 12 Languages, Literature and Culture 12.1 Languages, Literature and Culture of the British Isles

Creative Industries 07 Retail and Commercial Enterprise 7.3 Service Enterprises 9 Arts, Media and Publishing 9.1 Performing Arts 9.2 Crafts, Creative Arts and Design 9.3 Media and Communication

Foundation Learning 01 Health, Public Services and Care 1.3 Health and Social Care 02 Science and Mathematics 2.1 Science 06 Information and Communications Technology 6.2 ICT for Users 14 Preparation for Life and Work 14.1 Foundations for Learning and Life 14.2 Preparation for Work

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Health, Education and Social Care 01 Health, Public Services and Care 1.3 Health and Social Care 1.4 Public Services 1.5 Child development and Wellbeing 13 Education and training 13.1 Teaching and Lecturing 13.2 Direct Learning Support

Leisure Industries 07 Retail and Commercial Enterprise 7.4 Hospitality and Catering 08 Leisure, Travel and Tourism 8.1 Sport, Leisure and Recreation

Business Industries 06 Information and Communications Technology 6.1 ICT Practitioners 6.2 ICT for Users 15 Business, Administration and Law 15.1 Accounting and Finance 15.2 Administration 15.3 Business Management 15.5 Law and Legal Services

Languages and International Curriculum 06 Information and Communications Technology 6.2 ICT for Users 12 Languages, Literature and Culture 12.1 Languages, Literature and Culture of the British Isles 12.2 Other Languages, Literature and Culture 14 Preparation for Life and Work 14.1 Foundations for Learning and Life 14.2 Preparation for Work

Motor Vehicle and Electrical installation 04 Engineering and Manufacturing Technology 4.1 Engineering 4.3 Transportation Operations and Maintenance

Supported Learning 14 Preparation for Life and Work 14.1 Foundations for Learning and Life 14.2 Preparation for Work

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OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS

Good

KEY STRENGTHS

Strong improvements in success rates over the last three years

Clear focus on developing the employability skills of all learners with a focus on ultimately supporting them into employment

High quality teaching and learning that stretches learners and engages and motivates them

Very good personal and pastoral support for learners which enables learners to remain in learning

Very comprehensive and engaging enrichment programme which raises learners’ aspirations

Successful quality improvement strategies which has led to an improvement in the quality of teaching and learning and success rates

Ambitious mission and vision for the merged college developed by the Corporation and Senior Managers and communicated clearly to all staff

KEY AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT

Poor overall and timely success on Apprenticeship provision

Inconsistent delivery of Functional Skills across the College leading to poorer results in some areas

Inconsistent feedback to learners in some areas leading to variable levels of achievement across the College

Poor levels of attendance in some curriculum areas.

Incomplete systems integration following the recent merger of the Barnet and Southgate Colleges

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OUTCOMES FOR LEARNERS

Requires Improvement

There has been a strong upward trend in overall success rates over the last three

years. Success rates on programmes of all durations improved by 10.5% from

2009/10 to 2010/11 and are now at 83.5% which is just below the national

average. Success rates have improved at a faster pace than the national

average.

Success rates on long courses have improved by 7.7 % over the last three years

and are now at 79.2% which is just below the national average.

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Success rates on long courses for 16-18 year olds have improved by 4.2% over

the last year but are still 3% below the national average. This is due to poor

success on level 1 courses which at 80% are 4.2% below the national average

and on level 3 courses which at 75.7% are 4.6% below the national average. The

success rates on level 2 programmes are slightly above the national average.

Success rates on long programmes for adults have improved by 6.7% over the

last 3 years and at 79.4% are just slightly below the national average. However

the success rates vary by level. Success rates on long level 1 adult programmes

are 2.5% below the national average at 79.7%. They are 1.7% below the national

average at level 2 at 77.2%. Success rates on long level 3 adult programmes are

2.6% above the national average at 80.5%. There are good success rates on

adult level 3 programmes in Retail and Commercial Enterprises, Engineering and

Manufacturing Technology and Construction and Planning.

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Success rates vary by Subject Sector Area. They are well above the national

average in Construction, Planning and the Built Environment and in Education

and Training and above the national average in Engineering and Manufacturing

Technologies, Business Administration and Law. They are at or around the

national average in Science and Mathematics, Information and Communications

Technology, History, Philosophy and Theology, Languages, Literature and

Culture and Social sciences. They are below the national average in Health,

Public Services and Care, Retail and Commercial Enterprise, Leisure, Travel and

Tourism, Arts, Media and Publishing and Preparation for Life and Work.

The overall success rates on long programmes are pulled down because of poor

achievement. Generally retention is at or around the national average and in

some cases better, but whilst the College is clearly successful in supporting

learners to stay, more needs to be done to ensure that they achieve their

qualification. Achievement rates have however improved over the last three years

from 85.4% in 2009/10 to 90.0% in 2011/12 on programmes of all durations. This

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is a 4.6% improvement as compared with only a 2.4% improvement nationally.

Similarly achievement on long programmes has improved by 4.5% over the last

three years as compared with 2.4% nationally and is now 89.2%.

However overall achievement remains below the national average. Achievement

rates are at or around the national average for 16-18 long programmes at level 2

and 19+ programmes at level 2. They are at or around the national average for

19+ long programmes at levels 2 and 3.They are well below the national average

on 16-18 long level 1 and level 3 programmes and below the national average on

long adult level 2 and level 3 programmes.

Overall the achievement of high grades at level 3 is 19.4% which is at or around the national average of 21.9% (from the LRPR 2010/11). The value added results from the L3VA data indicate that most learners make the progress expected, when comparing their success rates to their prior attainment The Value Added scores are above average in Information and Communication Technology and Social Sciences and at or around the average for Health, Public Services and Care, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies, Leisure, Travel and Tourism, Arts, Media and Publishing and Languages, Literature and Culture. They are below the national average in Science and Mathematics, Health, Public services and care and Business, Administration and Law.

The overall success rate on Functional Skills is 62.4% which is nearly 4% lower than 2010/11 and is 5.7% below the national average. However the results vary by department with success rates well above the national average in Health and Social Care, Hair and Beauty, English for Speakers of Other Languages and Learning Difficulties and Disabilities provision. Success rates in Functional Skills are at or around the national average in Business and are below the national average in the remaining departments.

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There is a strong focus on developing employability skills across the College which helps learners to develop skills to support them in gaining employment.

o Art, Media and Performing Arts learners undertake live briefs and commissions including cat walk shows at the Clothes Show and Brent Cross Shopping Centre, live performances at numerous local venues and producing graphic design work for local businesses. During this project work learners work in challenging and realistic work environments mirroring the competitive environment of the creative industries.

o Business learners take part in a two week work shadowing experience linked to one of the modules on their programme. In their second year of the programme they complete an extended two-day-a-week placement completing a real-life business problem-solving project which is then presented to the employer and lecturing staff from the College.

o Hair and Beauty learners are challenged to produce work of a high standard and take part in learner competitions judged by industry experts. This has led to learners being offered jobs on the basis of their excellent skill levels. Hairdressing and Specialist Make-up learners were selected to work at the Olympic park during the summer. Learners are offered specialist units and industry specific qualifications in order to give them the competitive edge when seeking work.

o Learners with learning difficulties and disabilities have access to social enterprise opportunities which enable them to gain practical work skills and work experience through horticulture, an administrative training centre, training shop, multi-skills area with facilities for pottery, woodwork and art & craft, art galleries and catering areas that prepare learners for the work place.

o The Hospitality and Catering area successfully bid for a mobile catering unit to deliver cookery demonstrations. This has led to increased partnerships in the community with learners contributing to a range of cookery road shows in liaison with Enfield Council, the NHS trust and other community venues. The curriculum area has widened its range of partnerships with employers to include prestigious placement opportunities with companies such as Harrods and The Hilton.

o Learners have also had the opportunity to do a summer work placement in Spain. Sports learners have the opportunity to work within a Schools programme of PE delivery and athletics events over 6 primary and secondary schools. They also undertake partnership placements for coaching in community settings. Learners are offered appropriate industry specific additional qualifications to improve their chances of securing a job in the industry.

In addition to the strong focus on developing employability skills, the College

provides a range of opportunities for learners to develop the wider personal and

social development skills. Learners in many of the curriculum areas take part in

fund raising or voluntary work in the local community. There is an extensive

programme of over-seas visits to broaden learners’ horizons and, improve their

understanding of other cultures. The College’s tutorial programme includes topics

such as substance abuse, keeping safe, healthy eating and keeping fit.

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There are no significant gaps between male and female learners’ success rates

at a whole college level. However there are variations at subject sector level

which are addressed in the departmental self-assessment reports.

Learners from most minority ethnic groups achieve as well as, or better than their

peers. Learners from other Asian groups have a 4% lower success rate but this

gap has narrowed since 2010/11 when the gap between this group of learners

and the overall College average was 6%. The gaps in success have considerably

narrowed in 2011/12 for White/Black Caribbean learners, White/Asian learners

and Other Mixed race groups, all of which are now within 1% or 2% of the

College average.

When compared by age and ethnicity, most groups of learners are performing at

or above the national average for their ethnicity with the exception of White

British 16-18 year olds, Other Asian 16-18 and 19+ year olds, Other Mixed 16-18

year olds and White/Black Caribbean 16-18 year olds.

Success for Learners who declare a learning difficulty, disability or health

problem on all qualifications is at 81% as compared with 84% success for

learners without any form of difficulty. There are variations by subject sector area.

Learners with a learning difficulty, disability or health problem are performing

better than those without a declared disability in Business, Administration and

Law, Construction and Planning, Education and Training and Health, Public

Services and Care. They are performing less well in Arts, Media and Publishing,

Languages, Literature and Culture, Retail and Commercial Enterprise and

Science and Mathematics.

Success rates on both the Employer Responsive and Classroom Based Learning

sub-contracted provision are high. The provision includes ESOL, Literacy, IT,

Employability Skills and Numeracy under ALR as well as work based learning

NVQ’s which include; Driving Goods Vehicles, Waste Management, Customer

Service, Recycling Operations and Spectator Safety/Security.

Learners on Community Learning Courses achieve well, with an overall success

rate of 95% against their individual learning goals. Success rates are good for the

City and Guilds Level 1 Numeracy and Literacy accreditation offered within

Family Learning programmes. 97% of learners surveyed responded that they felt

more confident as a result of their learning programmes.

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KEY STRENGTHS

Strength Evidence

Good success rates on long level 3 programmes for adults

Success rates on long level 3 programmes are 80.5% which is 2.6% above the national average and a 2.3% improvement on 10/11 results. Success on level 3 adult programmes is particularly strong in the Subject Sector Areas of: Construction and Planning (90%), Engineering and Manufacturing Technology (87%) and Retail and Commercial Enterprises (85%). The Success rate for adults on A2 programmes is 96% which is well above the national average of 87.1%. Success rates are good on Access to Information Technology (83%) and Access to Teaching (83%).

Outstanding success rates on Construction and Planning programmes

The overall success rate on Construction and Planning programmes for all durations is 93.3% which is 13.4% above the national average and a 2.3% improvement on results for 10/11. Success rates on long programmes in Construction and Planning are 85.7% which is 7.6% above the national average.

Very good success rates on sub-contracted provision

The overall timely success on Employer Responsive provision is 99%. The overall success rate for Classroom Based Learning on Subcontracted provision is 89%, which is 5% above the national average for programmes of all durations. Of the eleven large subcontractors in partnership with the College, only one has an overall success rate below the national average and nine of them have a success rate of over 85%.

Good internal progression in many curriculum areas

Tutors actively support learners to progress onto other programmes. In 2011/12, 35% of learners on Entry Level programmes progressed onto a level 1 programme within the College. A further 61% progressed within Entry Level, broadening their learning or moving up the levels within Entry. 66% of learners on a Level 1 programme progressed onto a Level 2 programme and 72% of learners on a Level 2 programme progressed to Level 3. Internal progression is particularly good in certain areas of the College, for example, 87% of learners on Level 1 and Level 2 vocational science courses progress onto the next level programme within the college,

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[contd.] 67% of Level 1 Computing learners progressed to Level 2 courses and 80% of Level 2 Computing learners progressed to a Level 3 course. 74% of ESOL learners progress within the College. On the College’s Foundation Learning programmes, 100% of learners on the Skills for Working Life progressed to higher level courses and on the Bridging programme, 70% of learners progressed to level 2 vocational courses at the College with another 10% progressing onto programmes at other colleges.

Excellent progress and achievement made by learners with learning difficulties and

disabilities

Learners with learning difficulties and disabilities attending discrete provision make excellent progress. 84% of learners achieved a national recognised qualification and 99% of learners achieved their primary learning goals which are measured through a robust RARPA process. Progression for LLDD learners at the college is outstanding measured against national trends for this learner group. The progression data shows, that of the 75 learners who left the programme in July 2011, 30% achieved employment (23% into paid employment), apprenticeships (4%) and volunteering. 13% of learners progressed onto mainstream college programmes and 43% onto community programmes. All learners have access to social enterprise opportunities and the current outstanding and accessible facilities enable learners to gain practical work skills and work experience through horticulture, administrative training centre, training shop, multi-skills area with facilities for pottery, woodwork and art & craft, art galleries and catering areas that prepare learners for the work place.

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Strong focus on employability skills which develops learners’ understanding of what is required in the workplace.

The College places great importance on the development of employability skills and preparing learners for the world of work. The College provides a range of industry standard learning environments which provide a realistic setting for learners to develop their specific vocational skills. Curriculum areas bring in employers or organise visits to appropriate trade shows so that learners are kept up to date with the latest information on their chosen career path. Many curriculum areas offer additional vocational qualifications as part of the learners’ programme to further improve their employability skills. A number of curriculum areas offer work experience as part of their programme or provide opportunities within the curriculum for learners to undertake realistic and challenging projects which mirror the types of tasks they would undertake in the workplace. The College provides ESOL vocational provision in a range of vocational areas with a high level of progression (74%) onto further vocational provision.

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Highly effective Work skills provision with excellent Job Centre Plus and stakeholder liaison

In 11/12 the college was the largest provider of work skills provision within the North London District and achieved job outcomes for learners in excess of 30%, above the national benchmark and in excess of work programme provision. The college developed co-location arrangements with Job Centre Plus within the integrated employment and Enterprise Zone and created a range of market driven programmes directly linked to local labour market demand. Integrating employment and skills under one access point was a key development creating the foundations for further innovation going forward. The college has created excellent referral arrangements with local offices receiving over 1000 referrals in one quarter to a range of work skills programmes. The College works effectively with Community and Local Authority stakeholders across employment priorities and is effective in linking funding opportunities to priorities for reducing the number of benefit claimants. A key partner of Employment and skills boards locally, the college delivered on Enterprise priorities in 11/12. The college successfully delivered enterprise and business start-up programmes to residents with 60% of the learners participating going on to trading status at the end of the programme. The College has engaged effectively with work programme providers in 11/12 creating formal meeting arrangements to develop appropriate models of delivery for this customer group.

Successful narrowing of the achievement gap between groups of learners

The College has successfully narrowed the gaps in success in 2011/12 for White/Black Caribbean learners, White/Asian learners and Other Mixed race groups, all of which are now within 1% or 2% of the College average. Success rates for White/Black Caribbean learners have improved by 5% in 11/12 and for White/Asians it has improved by 6%. Success rates for learners from Other Mixed groups have improved by 5%.

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AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT

Areas for Improvement Evidence

Variable levels of achievement across the College

Whilst overall achievement on all programmes has improved by 4.6% over the last 3 years to 90.0%, it is 2.2% below the national average. Achievement on long programmes has improved by 4.5% over the last 3 years and is now 89.2% which is 1.7% below the national average. Achievement rates vary by age and level and are well below the national average on 16-18 level 1 and level 3 programmes and below the national average on long adult level 2 and level 3 programmes. They also vary by subject sector area and are low for both 16-18 and 19+ long programmes in Leisure, Travel and Tourism and for 16-18 year olds in History, Philosophy and Theology, Science and Mathematics, Retail and Commercial Enterprises.

Poor overall and timely success rates on Apprenticeship programmes

The overall success rate for apprentices is 52.7% and the timely success is 50.2%. The poorer success rates are in part due to the impact of the recession and learners losing their jobs. However the College also recognises the need to improve the overall tracking and co-ordination of the frameworks to ensure timely success.

Inconsistent success rates on Functional Skills across the College

The overall success rate for Functional Skills is 62.4% which is a 4% decline on the previous years results. Whilst success rates are good or at the national average in some curriculum areas, they are below the national average in Humanities and Science, Arts, Media and Performing Arts, Computing and ICT, Electrical Installation and Motor Vehicle, catering and Hospitality, Construction and Sport.

Weak success rates in a few Subject Sector Areas

Success rates are below the national average in Health, Public Services and Care, Retail and Commercial Enterprise, Leisure, Travel and Tourism, Arts, Media and Publishing and Preparation for Life and Work.

Poor levels of attendance in some curriculum areas

The overall attendance for the College in 2011/12 was 83% and whilst this was a marginal improvement on 2010/11, attendance is still inconsistent across the College. Curriculum areas have used a variety of strategies to improve attendance in 2011/12 but these had a variable impact.

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TEACHING, LEARNING AND

ASSESSMENT

Good

The College places a high priority on the improvement of teaching, learning and

assessment and there is a strong trend of improvement. The proportion of good

or better lessons has improved over the last three years from 69 % in 2008/09 to

90% in 2011/12 and this is reflected in the improvement of success rates across

the College.

Ofsted noted at the Focussed Monitoring Visit in February 2012 that the College had made significant progress in providing relevant and wide-ranging staff development since the previous inspections and that this had impacted positively on staff performance. They reported that training requirements are identified accurately through observations of teaching and learning and performance appraisal.

Teachers are well supported by a team of 24 Teaching and Learning Coaches who cover most areas of the College. There is a strong culture of sharing and promoting best practice and providing supportive and developmental support for teachers performing at standards deemed as less than good. During 2011/12 the College implemented an innovative supported experiment project which has led to improved observation grades, increased rigour in teaching and learning and a significant engagement in problem solving teaching and learning amongst staff. The project culminated in the showcasing of over 60 supported experiments at the July 2012 staff conference. These covered six key teaching and learning priorities and involved 391 staff. All the staff agreed that the Supported Experiments had led to measurable improvements in their learners’ attitudes and approaches to learning.

In most classes the teaching and learning is challenging and supports the

development of learners’ skills and understanding. Teachers plan learning

carefully and use a wide range of learning activities and good resources to

support learners’ progress. Teachers generally enthuse and engage learners and

the feedback from them is generally very positive. Teachers use a range of

methods to check learning is taking place including the skilful use of questioning.

There is a strong focus on health and safety in all practical areas.

The value of the use of technology to enhance the learning experience is well

understood by staff and the College has taken part in a number of innovative e-

learning projects that have enriched learner and teacher engagement and

increased student centred learning. These have included an E-Ambassador

Project delivered in collaboration with other colleges, drawing on the IT skills of

learners to encourage and support the use of technology in the classroom.

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The learners who took part were very positive about the benefits of the project

and the fact that they had developed skills that would help them with their further

studies or work. For example one learner learnt how to use mind mapping

software which he felt would benefit him when he went on to university and

another believed taking part in the project had developed more independent

learning skills.

The College’s E-Learning Co-ordinator worked effectively alongside curriculum

teams to develop and embed e-learning in their curriculum delivery. He also

developed a range on on-line resources for teachers to self-access and

supported the sharing of best practice across the College. All learners and staff

have access to Moodle, the College’s Virtual Learning Environment although the

use of this as a tool to support and extend learning is inconsistent across the

College. Moodle and the use of Technology is well used in Humanities and

Science, Art and Design, Computing, ESOL, Foundation Learning, Hair and

Beauty, Health Education, and Social Care and Electrical Installation. In these

areas learners have access to a range of on-line materials through Moodle and

teachers make good use of electronic white boards, videos, the internet and other

tools to enhance learning and engage learners. E-learning and the use of Moodle

is less well developed in Accounting, Construction and Motor Vehicles.

Information, advice and guidance is provided by a range of staff including Customer Services, Careers Advisers and teaching staff. The College successfully achieved Matrix accreditation in March 2012. The assessor noted that customers have an expectation of the level of information, advice and support they are going to receive gathered by the web site information, College induction and what staff and other customers tell them. The assessor found that consistently customers spoke of their expectations being exceeded and how they had or would recommend the service to friends. The Matrix report concluded that the services provide a wide range of information, advice, guidance and support for learning and work across the College sites to diverse potential customers and customers. The assessor commented that even though the merger was less than six months old, the services had managed to maintain an enthusiastic and dedicated team of staff and that they all had a common belief in their role in the Customer Journey and how this enhances the College experience. In addition to the information advice and guidance provided by the Learner and Customer Services Teams, curriculum staff also place great emphasis on providing a high level of support to their learners. They are all involved in interviewing learners pre-entry and ensuring that they are placed on the right programme. Care is also taken during the induction period to check that the learner is appropriately placed and is getting the right level of support to succeed on their programme.

All learners take part in a comprehensive induction programme to ensure that they are introduced to their College programme as well as the range of support and enrichment services available to them. During this period, learners undertake a range of initial and diagnostic assessments to ensure that they are on the right programme. During induction, all learners are made aware of their rights and

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responsibilities and made aware of the College’s safeguarding and equality and diversity policies

Learners meet with their tutors on a regular basis to discuss their progress against the targets in their individual learning plans. Generally learners comment that they find the reviews are helpful and in most areas there is a good focus upon attendance, assignment completion and punctuality. However in some areas there is a need to further develop and improve the quality of academic feedback given to learners to ensure that they are being sufficiently challenged and that they have a clear understanding of how to improve and what they need to do to not only achieve but secure high grades.

There is an extensive programme of enrichment activities delivered in curriculum areas that motivates learners, enhances their vocational skills and raises their aspirations. For example:

o Art and Design learners have undertaken overseas trips including trips to Paris, Morocco, Spain and Italy which has broadened their knowledge and understanding of other cultures. The curriculum area has also contributed to a number of community initiatives including a fashion show at Brent Cross Shopping Centre which was very well received.

o Business learners took part in a Dragons Den assignment which enhanced their entrepreneurial and presentation skills. Computing and IT learners took part in a Student Citizenship Conference hosting 50 Danish learners. They also undertook a trip to Morocco and some learners undertook a work placement in Spain.

o Construction learners take part in enrichment activities such as visits from manufacturers to demonstrate trade products, and trips to the Painting and Decorating exhibition in Coventry and Building Exhibition at Excel.

o The ESOL learners take part in a variety of community events including volunteering and fund-raising.

o Hair and Beauty learners are offered vocational enrichment training days in beauty, media make-up and hairdressing.

o Learners in Health, Education and Social Care were offered additional vocationally relevant courses such as First Aid, Babysitting and Stewarding. The curriculum area also offers a breadth of enrichment which provides excellent opportunities for learners to develop their personal, social and employability skills that will enhance future job prospects. These have included external visitors from employers, university visits to Middlesex, Hertfordshire, South Bank and Roehampton, internal and external Careers Fair and a Multi-Agency Early Year’s Conference at the London Borough of Barnet.

o Learners with learning difficulties or mental health problems have the opportunity to go on a range of trips such as using the local facilities, theatre trips, horse-riding etc. At the learners’ request staff organised a number of clubs such as singing, drama, sport, art and computers.

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o In Motor Vehicles the learners have formed a motorsports team which took part in the British Schools Go-Karting Championship. Learners in Motor Vehicles have also designed and produced a model racing car. The area hosted the Skill Auto Competition for the South East of England for Maintenance & Repair, Panel and Paint.

o Sports learners work with primary schools to deliver PE and athletics. They also undertake partnership placements for coaching in community settings. The curriculum area makes good use of outside speakers to motivate and relate to the learners including Olympic medallist and a variety or industry employees. The learners are also given the opportunity to achieve sports industry short course qualifications.

Over 50 learners participated in the London 2011 World skills event, covering showcases and demonstrations for the areas of Catering and Hospitality, Construction and Automotive Paint Spraying.

The majority of staff within the College have the relevant qualifications and experience to deliver learning which is interesting, relevant and motivating. In A Levels and Science six members of staff are assistant examiners in their subject specialism, one is a lead examiner. This provides teams and learners with important insight into assessment practice and standards thus increasing exam success. Many of the staff in Art, Fashion and Design are still practicing in their specialisms and use their experience to enhance their learners’ learning. In Computing and Information Technology staff have a high level of academic qualifications with a wide range of up to date professional expertise. Staff are able to use real examples from the workplace which enables them to make technical topics real and accessible to learners. Many of the staff in Health, Education and Social Care have recent experience of working in the sector. In addition the curriculum area makes use of sessional and part-time staff who are still practising in their specialist field. The Sports Team cover a range of specialisms including physiotherapy; personal training; coaching at club and international level; pro performers/players at international level, relevant employment in leisure management, sports development and specialist strength and conditioning club coaching at League level.

Learners identified as having additional needs receive sensitive, discrete and high-quality support. Those receiving additional learning support achieve as well as their peers. The College provides a safe and supportive working environment that is underpinned by comprehensive initial assessment service before and during enrolment. There is close liaison with course teams throughout this process and while learners are supported at the college. There are range of additional assessments and services including disability assessments, assistive technology assessments and arrangements for exam access and individual learning plans. Supported learning learners participate in activities across the college including learner forums and the disabilities equalities group.

Equality and diversity is embedded effectively in some curriculum areas but this is not consistent across the college and in some areas opportunities to extend learners’ understanding of equality and diversity through the curriculum are

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missed. Equality and diversity is well embedded in A levels and Science, particularly in the tutorial and enrichment sessions delivered in the area. Teachers also maximise opportunities to embed equality and diversity into their curriculum content wherever possible. In Sports the Schemes of Work in the area demonstrate how disability awareness, homophobia, sexism, racism and other forms of discrimination are taught using current sporting media examples. The curriculum area supports key equality campaigns such as ‘Kick out Racism’ and International Women’s Day. Creative Arts learners embed equality and diversity in their projects and performances and they are encouraged to draw on their personal experiences of equality and diversity in their work. Staff in Hair and Beauty actively promote diversity through the wide range of practical skills developed for the learners, including additional units of barbering, and African hairdressing, specialist waxing and nail treatments. Learners are encouraged to use all their personal influence to produce individual work. Hospitality and Catering learners are taught to cook dishes from across the world and how to meet the particular cultural or religious needs of customers. Food service learners are taught how to respond to the specific needs of people with disabilities.

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KEY STRENGTHS

Strength Evidence

Good teaching and learning in the majority of curriculum areas

Overall the quality of teaching and learning is very good with 90% of lessons being graded as good or better. The quality of teaching and learning is good in the majority of areas in the College and is exemplified by careful planning to meet individual needs, an appropriate focus on stretching and challenging learners and use of a variety of engaging and motivational learning strategies. 88% of learners surveyed were satisfied with the quality of teaching and learning and 84% of learners surveyed found their lessons interesting and enjoyable.

Very good support for learners which enables them to stay on course

There is a strong ethos of care and support for learners within the college. The overall College retention rate on long programmes is 89% which is 1% above the national average. Learners comment positively on the support from their tutors and how their help has enabled them to succeed. In the majority of areas, there are effective processes in place to identify at risk learners, track their progress and make appropriate interventions to enable them to succeed. Where appropriate tutors make referrals to the Learner Services teams who are located on each campus. The team provide a range of services to learners to help them remain on programme and achieve. These include counselling advice and guidance and mentoring.

Very comprehensive and engaging enrichment programme which raises learners’ aspirations

There is an extensive programme of enrichment activities delivered in curriculum areas that motivates learners, enhances their vocational skills and raises their aspirations. Many of the curriculum areas take part in over-seas trips or offer work experience abroad to extend learners learning and increase their awareness of other cultures. There are a range of visits to industry relevant events such as The Clothes Show and the Building Exhibition at Excel. Curriculum areas make good use of external speakers to raise learners’ aspirations about what can be achieved. Some curriculum areas such as Health, Education and Social Care, Hospitality and Catering, Hair and Beauty and Sports Studies offer learners industry - relevant additional short qualifications which gives them an advantage when seeking employment in the sector. There are good links with the community and many areas undertake fundraising and volunteering work.

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Highly effective additional learning support that enables learners to succeed

Additional Learning Support is very effective and valued by the learners receiving it. 95% of learners found their support to be excellent and their comments confirmed that the support they had been given contributed to their success. The overall success rate for learners receiving additional learning support on long qualifications is 79%, i.e. in line with the overall college success rate on long programmes. The lesson observation profile shows that 100% of the additional learning support sessions seen were good or better. Teachers provide outstanding support including personal development, they provide stretch and challenge and use assessment effectively to check learning and set targets. The ALS team are appropriately qualified with 4 PATOSS certificated Specific Learning Disabilities specialists at Level 5, 4 Level 5 Specific Learning Disabilities specialists, 13 staff with mental health qualifications e.g. MHFA (Mental Health First Aid Training), 6 British Sign Language staff trained to Level 3. Achievement rates for 2011-12 for all ALS learners are 91.4% higher that the college average. Learner evaluations concur with outstanding tutor observations: “I would have not been able to complete the course” “It helped me study more independently” learner evaluations 2011-12 (sample of 100 out of 450 learners) The Student Support assistants who work in-class with the learners are effective and for the majority of lessons learners progress their independence, ILPs are used effectively to support independent learning and learners are actively encouraged to review their learning. There is effective team working with departments on most courses.

Very effective information, advice and guidance

Learners receive effective initial advice and guidance to ensure that they enrol on a programme that will meet their needs. The Matrix Assessment which was carried out in March 2012 identified that Support Services staff reflected on the information and advice they gave and were clear that they remained objective and that the customer need was at the centre of all support. Teaching staff are also involved in providing pre-entry guidance and place great emphasis on ensuring that learners are placed on the right programmes. All learners have an induction programme to introduce them to both the College and their learning programme. Nearly 2000 learners achieved the NOCN Award in Enabling Progression with an overall 96% success rate. At the end of the induction programme learners have a one-to one tutorial with their tutor to ensure that

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Very effective information, advice and guidance cont…

they are coping with the programme and that any support needs are being met. Tutors work effectively with the Careers Team to provide guidance to learners on their next steps in terms of progression. Many curriculum areas also organise visits and use external speakers to provide further information and advice to guide learners’ choices.

Well qualified and vocationally experienced staff who use their industrial knowledge to add value to the learners’ programme.

Learners benefit from being taught by staff who are appropriately qualified and have a good range of vocational or academic experiences which they draw on to deliver learning that is interesting, motivating and relevant. 93% of learners surveyed fed back that the teachers’ knowledge of their subject was good or excellent.

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AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT

Areas for Improvement Evidence

Inconsistent feedback to learners in some areas to support achievement

The quality of feedback to learners to raise achievement is inconsistent across the college as is evidenced by the differences in achievement at departmental and subject sector area. 19% of learners surveyed felt that the feedback they received was only satisfactory or poor. In the areas where feedback is less effective, teachers are not providing sufficient information to learners about how to improve their work or what they need to do to achieve a higher grade.

Missed opportunities to embed equality and diversity in teaching and learning in a few curriculum areas

Whilst all curriculum areas ensure that equality and diversity is covered in tutorial sessions, there is evidence from lesson observations that teachers do not always capitalise on opportunities to embed equality and diversity into the curriculum content. This is more evident in the ‘hard’ vocational areas such as Construction and Motor Vehicle and Electrical Installation.

Inconsistent use of information communication technology in teaching and learning across the College

Whilst good progress has been made in embedding the use of ILT across the college, it is still not consistently used by all staff in every area. E-learning and the use of Moodle is less well developed in Accounting, Construction and Motor Vehicles. Generally the virtual learning environment is used more as a means to support learning through posting up the resources used in lessons etc. rather than as a means of extending learning and developing independent learning skills.

Insufficient embedding of functional skills in some curriculum areas

The embedding of functional skills is variable across the college and this is reflected in the inconsistent success rates in functional skills across the College. In curriculum areas where success rates are lower there is insufficient monitoring of learners’ attendance at functional skills classes and the liaison between the functional skills tutor and the vocational tutor is not effective. In some classes teachers miss opportunities to naturally embed functional skills in their delivery and reinforce the importance of developing these skills to their learners.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Good

Barnet and Southgate College was formed as a result of decisive action taken by the governing bodies of the two former colleges to merge in order to provide a stronger educational offer in the local area and meet the needs of learners and the local community. The newly formed Corporation and Executive Leadership Group moved swiftly to develop a clear and ambitious strategic direction for the newly merged College which has at its heart a strong focus on raising standards, enterprise and employability.

The Executive Leadership Group and governors have a clear mission to drive forward standards with a vision to be an outstanding College which provides an exceptional learning experience for learners supporting them to achieve the highest level of academic and vocational success. The College has set ambitious and demanding targets for the quality of teaching and learning, success rates and job outcomes and these have been communicated to all staff.

Governance of the College is good. The diverse membership brings a valuable range of skills and expertise although the Board has recognised the fact that its current size, formed from the merger of the two former governing bodies is too large for optimum working and a decision has been taken by the Board to radically alter the College’s governance arrangements and move to a new policy governance model which embraces wider stakeholder involvement and participation and a key focus for all Governors on teaching, learning and performance. The Corporation skilfully steered the College through the challenge of a mid-year merger and ensured that the core business processes were maintained whilst appointing a new Executive Leadership Group. The Board ensured the impact of the merger on learners was minimised and academic standards were maintained resulting in an improvement in the success rates. Governors receive regular reports on the performance of the College and provide an appropriate level of challenge to senior managers on any issues arising from the reports.

The Executive Leadership Group, led by the Principal have prioritised establishing a transparent and open way of working and successfully managed a significant re-structure of the organisation whilst improving standards. The Investors in People assessor commented that the restructuring of management seems to have been handled well following the successful re-accreditation visit in July 2012. She added that significant transition and change will continue down through the tiers but that most people are not unduly worried by this. She surmised that this was probably due to beliefs in consultation, fairness and honesty.

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A new department of Organisational Development was set up post-merger to support the College through merger transition and to develop new ways of working to drive forward culture change and introduce consistency of processes and systems used within the merged College. The College undertook a cultural survey in May 2012 to explore the differences in the two former college cultures which was used to inform the Organisational Development strategy going forward which focuses on five key themes of Culture, Capacity, Capability, Organisational Systems and Processes and Reward and Recognition. Prior to and immediately following merger, joint working groups from the former colleges were set up to start to bring departments and colleagues together to work together, share ideas and review systems and processes. The College responded swiftly and pro-actively to employee relations issues which would have impacted on the morale of staff, College operations and ultimately would have affected the learner experience. However the process of integrating all the key systems and processes within the College is not yet complete and more work needs to be done to ensure consistent policies and procedures across the College.

The College provides a good range of vocational courses across most subjects with clear progression routes which was one of the key benefits identified as part of the rationale for the strategic merger. There is an extensive ESOL programme with linked vocational provision that supports learners progressing into other areas of the College. The College’s Foundation Learning provision serves as a supportive transition programme for learners with poor previous educational attainment. The curriculum is well- developed and based on a careful analysis of a range of learners’ needs. A thorough strategic planning process at departmental level ensures that any national initiatives or funding changes are reflected in the delivery plan and that resources are allocated appropriately.

The College has a strong history of collaboration with local authorities, employers and community groups in order to ensure the provision meets the needs of key stakeholders. The College is a significant contributor to local educational planning strategies and plays an increasing role in shaping pan-London partnerships and London centric initiatives. The College has links with London Underground (Engineering), Homebase Copart (customer service); Norbert Dentressangle, Jack Richards, Lanterns, Morrisons (Logistics), Arsenal Football Club, Tottenham Hotspur, Saracens (Sports), London Borough of Barnet (Waste Management), Barnet and Enfield Care Homes (Health and Social Care), Harrods (Catering), Ambitious about Autism (LLDD).

Managers have put in place successful strategies for improving success rates with a sharp focus on improving the quality of the learner experience. Overall success rates have improved by 10.5 % in the last three years. However managers acknowledge that there is some inconsistency in success rates across the College and that there needs to be a greater focus on improving achievement rates including apprenticeship frameworks.

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The College places a high priority on improving the quality of teaching and learning and has invested in staffing and professional development to support staff in developing their practice. There is a strong culture within the College of sharing best practice and supporting innovation in teaching and learning through the implementation of strategies such as peer observations and supported experiments. The College provides a relevant and wide ranging professional development programme and it was recognised by Ofsted at the Annual Monitoring Visit in February that this had impacted positively on staff performance, contributing to recent improvements in success rates and in the quality of provision identified in lesson observations. Similarly the assessor for Investors in People commented that the CPD in- house and external opportunities are generous, responsive and well planned in order to respond to external and internal requirements as well as staff needs.

Teaching staff are observed annually and individuals who are identified as requiring improvement have good access to professional development and one-to one support from a Teaching and Learning Coach. A new performance management system was introduced for the merged college which informs an individual training plan which in turn feeds into the overall professional development plan for the College alongside other key documents such as lesson observation reports and department strategic plans.

The College is very committed to learning from best practice both nationally and internationally. Staff have benefited from a series of international visits to educational establishments and joint project working with other partners in other countries. In addition the College is an active member of the 157 Group and is also involved in two peer review groups.

The College established a comprehensive self-assessment process which involves both Curriculum and Service Area Managers. Managers found the process of developing a self-assessment report for their newly merged areas of responsibility challenging especially as they were only recruited to their posts in June 2012. However they found the information gathering and data analysis useful in establishing the key strengths and areas for improvement for their area and focussing on the actions needing to be taken to improve the quality of their provision or service. Given the timings of the merger, the self-assessment process was end-loaded, rather than a more formative process and led to some variability in the quality of the reports. All the self-assessment reports were scrutinised by a panel including an external Ofsted trained inspector and then validated by members of the Executive Leadership Group, leading in some cases to a change in grade or changes to the key strengths and areas for improvement. Governors attended a sample of Self-Assessment panels to ensure that the process was suitably robust, rigorous and challenging.

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Managers make good use of data to improve the quality of provision. The Executive Leadership Group closely monitors a range of key performance indicators on a monthly basis including attendance, punctuality, retention, achievement, complaints and lesson observation grades. Any issues arising from the data analysis are thoroughly investigated and the relevant managers are held accountable for any required improvement actions. A summary of the key data is reported to governors on a regular basis.

Arrangements for ensuring the quality of the large volume of sub-contracted provision are robust. All partners are rigorously checked using the due diligence checklist. Managers conduct no-notice visits and a programme of lesson observations conducted by the College is in place.

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The College makes use of a range of stakeholder surveys in order to collect the views of learners. However the response rate of the surveys is low and more needs to be done to ensure a larger number of learners complete the survey. Both former colleges were committed to the learner voice and a student representative system was in place to gather learners’ views at a curriculum level. In addition learners got the opportunity to meet the members of the Executive Leadership Group for lunch or at Student Focus groups. The College needs to develop a more comprehensive learner involvement strategy which makes better use of communications technology and better engages all learner groups at the College.

Equality and diversity are appropriately promoted within the College and the Equality and Diversity Committee meets on a termly basis to monitor the implementation of the College’s Equality and Diversity Action Plan. Governors receive a report on progress against the College’s equality and diversity objectives. Managers monitor the performance of different groups of learners carefully and the College has successfully narrowed the gaps in success rates for mixed race groups. The College recognises that there is a need to update staff training in equality and diversity and plans are in place to do this.

The College is very responsive to the needs of vulnerable groups, particularly those from more deprived areas who are supported to be involved in all aspects of College life. The College provides a very inclusive environment and is proud of its outstanding provision for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. These learners integrate well within the College and take a full part in activities.

The College meets its statutory requirements for safeguarding learners. There are appropriate policies in place and the Lead Designated Safeguarding Officer is a senior manager. The Chair of the Corporation takes a lead in safeguarding issues. The College sits on the Children’s Safeguarding Board for Both Barnet and Enfield and links with the statutory authorities are well established. All staff and governors have undertaken appropriate safeguarding training and are required to do updating training every two years. All new staff receive safeguarding training during induction. The college has a comprehensive single central record.

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The College has a zero tolerance of bullying and any incidents are dealt with swiftly and appropriately. There are good links with the local police and a protocol of information sharing ensures that appropriate risk assessments are carried out before admitting learners with previous convictions. The police also visit tutorials and provide guidance to learners on staying safe.

The College has a range of appropriate health and safety policies and risk assessments are in place across the College. An on-line reporting incident and accident reporting system allows for regular reporting on health and safety and action taken to minimise risk.

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KEY STRENGTHS

Strength Evidence

Successful strategies to improve success rates

The College has successfully raised overall success rates from 73.0% in 2009/10 to 83.5% in 2011/12, an overall increase of 10.5% which is a faster rate of improvement than the national average. Similarly, success rates on long programmes have improved from 71.5% to 79.25, an increase of 7.7%. Strategies to improve success have included a greater focus on the quality of teaching and learning, robust monitoring of individual learners’ progress and improved support for learners at risk of not achieving.

High priority given to improving the quality of teaching and learning

The College has invested in developing a strong infrastructure to support the delivery of high quality teaching and learning. This has led to an improvement in the quality of teaching and learning, from 69% of lessons being graded as good or better in 2008/09 to 90% being graded good or better in 2010/11. The College has made good use of its Subject Learning Coaches and Teaching and Learning Coaches to support individuals who have received a poor lesson observation grade. Teachers are encouraged to share best practice through the peer observation scheme and to experiment and innovate in teaching and learning through a comprehensive programme of supportive experiments. The improvement strategy for teaching and learning is under-pinned by a comprehensive programme of staff development on teaching and learning.

Effective leadership and management during merger to minimise the impact on learners

The College has prioritized ensuring that the merger did not impact adversely on the learning experience for learners. Managers have ensured that disruption for learners was kept at a minimum and that as far as they were concerned it was business as usual. This is evidenced in the fact that success rates and teaching and learning grades continued to improve during this period. The assessor for IIP commented that ‘Re-recognition as an Investor in People is well deserved. The college is a genuinely humane and friendly organisation. The staff are inspired by their work and committed to the learners. The recent merger of the two colleges has demanded a fair deal of readjustment. The new Principal is respected for his hands-on approach and informality with staff. The restructuring of management

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Effective leadership and management during merger to minimise the impact on learners cont…

seems to have been handled well. Significant transition and change will continue down through the tiers but most people are not unduly worried by this. This is probably due to beliefs in consultation, fairness and honesty”.

Wide and diverse curriculum offer to meet the needs of the community and employers

The curriculum offer spans 14 out of 15 sector areas with provision covering Entry level through to HE level in many curriculum areas. Liaison with external stakeholders is built into the workings of the College with effective community and employer related partnerships leading to broad, industry relevant curriculum delivery. Curriculum areas actively embed a significant range of additionality and employability programmes into the curriculum offer using relevant QCF and industry standard qualifications. The college, through its strategic planning and significant employer and 3rd sector partnerships, also saw a marked rise in JCP provision as well as an increase in worked based learning through an active and ambitious apprenticeship growth strategy. As the college has increasingly recognised the importance of partnerships with business and the world of work, a key feature of 2012 was expanding employer partnership throughout its curriculum offer. There is significant and good joint working with Local Authorities to provide a coherent curriculum offer for adult hard to reach students as well as a vibrant and exciting alternative ‘school’ provision for 14-16 years olds.

Strong and consistent vision for the merged College

The recent IIP assessment commented that the vision, purpose, ethos and values are deeply shared by all staff. Business and work planning is exemplary. It is rigorous, forward looking, focused and innovative. The degree to which the college responds quickly and creatively to opportunities is to be admired.

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Highly effective strategies for engaging with employers

The college’s business development units strategies are four fold:

1. Focus on the needs of the business from the beginning of the dialogue with employers.

2. Developing effective relationships and strategic partnerships with employers to secure new and repeat business.

3. Working in partnership with other providers to secure breadth of expertise and capacity to meet employer’s needs promptly.

4. Providing holistic solutions to employers business needs.

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AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT

Areas for Improvement Evidence Incomplete systems integration leading to some inconsistencies in practice across the College

During the merger business support staff focused on the mission critical activities to ensure that learners were not disadvantaged and the College met its contractual and legal obligations. Work began on restructuring the Business Support Areas at the end of the academic year but the new structures are not yet in place. The College has prioritised the integration of MIS systems and the adoption of EBS across the whole college and ensured that new applicants for 12/13 were enrolled on a joint system. However there is further work to be done in ensuring that the management information systems are fully embedded in the new college. Similarly the college merged the network infrastructure to ensure access to college systems but has yet to fully develop the new staff intranet and ensure information is easily accessible for all staff. The College’s quality systems have been revised including the lesson observation scheme but these new systems have yet to have an impact.

Current structure of the merged governing body constrains the ability to respond to new freedoms and responsibilities

Particular evidence is the current size of Corporation and capacity to contribute in a timely manner as well as the outcomes from the Governance Review 2012. The conventional structures and scheduling of sub-committees led some Corporation Members to query the focus of governance in the era of “freedoms and flexibilities”. An increasing trend for Corporation to challenge managers has been a welcome improvement but existing numbers presented an unwieldy group size that no longer represented the aims and aspirations of a dynamic College. Consequently a decision was made to restructure the College’s governance arrangements.

Under-developed learner involvement strategy in the merged College

Although both former colleges were committed to listening to and acting on the learner voice, there are under-developed systems in place for the newly merged College. There is no over-arching Learner Involvement Strategy for the Whole College.

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APPENDICES

QUALITY OF PROVISION IN CURRICULUM AREAS

Curriculum Area Validated SAR Grade

A Levels and Science 2

Art and Design 3

Basic and Functional Skills 3

Business 2

Construction Trades 2

English for Speakers of Other Languages 2

Hair and Beauty 2

Health, Education and Social Care 2

Hospitality and Catering 3

Information Technology and Computing 2

Learning Difficulties and Disabilities 1

Motor Vehicle and Electrical Installation 3

Sport 2

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QUALITY OF PROVISION IN SERVICE AREAS

Service Area Validated SAR

Grade

Customer Services 3

Finance 3

Human Resources 3

Information Technology Services 3

Learner Services 3

Management Information Services 3

Marketing and Communications 2

Organisational Development 2

Quality 3

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SUMMARY OF SUCCESS RATES

OVERALL College Rate National Rate Difference

HEADLINES 08/9 - 11/12 Starts Vol% S R A S R A S R A

All Duration Total (Excl KF Skills)

2009/10 17,020 75 87 85 79 88 90 -4 -1 -5

2010/11 16,739 79 90 88 81 89 91 -2 1 -3

2011/12 23,206 84 93 90 84 91 92 0 2 -2

All Duration 16-18

2009/10 7,115 42% 76 89 85 79 88 90 -3 1 -5

2010/11 7,366 44% 79 90 87 82 89 92 -3 1 -5

2011/12 7,753 33% 81 92 88 84 91 92 -3 1 -4

All Duration 19+

2009/10 9,905 58% 74 87 86 79 89 90 -5 -2 -4

2010/11 9,373 56% 80 90 89 81 89 91 -1 1 -2

2011/12 15,453 67% 85 93 91 84 92 92 1 1 -1

College Rate National Rate Difference

All Long Total (Excl KF Skills)

2009/10 12,718 74 85 87 77 86 90 -3 -1 -3

2010/11 13,013 77 88 88 79 87 91 -2 1 -3

2011/12 12,893 79 89 89 81 88 92 -2 1 -3

All long 16-18

2009/10 6,158 36% 75 88 85 78 87 90 -3 1 -5

2010/11 6,137 37% 76 88 87 80 87 91 -4 1 -4

2011/12 6,130 26% 79 90 88 82 89 92 -3 1 -4

All long 19+

2009/10 6,560 39% 73 86 85 75 85 89 -2 1 -4

2010/11 6,876 41% 78 87 89 77 86 90 1 1 -1

2011/12 6,763 29% 79 88 91 80 87 91 -1 1 0 KF = Key and Functional Skills

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n/a = not available

College Rate National Rate Difference

Level 1 (Notional) Starts Vol% S R A S R A S R A

Level 1 Long

2009/10 5,699 33% 70 84 84 78 87 89 -8 -3 -5

2010/11 5,819 35% 78 87 90 79 87 91 -1 0 -1

2011/12 6,167 27% 80 88 91 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Level 1 Long 16-18

2009/10 1,876 33% 70 84 83 80 88 91 -10 -4 -8

2010/11 1,776 31% 79 88 89 81 87 92 -2 1 -3

2011/12 2,178 35% 80 90 89 84 90 94 -4 0 -5

Level 1 Long 19+

2009/10 3823 67% 70 84 84 76 86 88 -6 -2 -4

2010/11 4,043 69% 77 86 90 77 87 89 0 -1 1

2011/12 3,989 65% 80 86 92 82 90 92 -2 -4 0

College Rate National Rate Difference

Level 2 Starts Vol% S R A S R A S R A

All level 2 long

2009/10 3,596 21% 73 86 85 76 85 90 -3 1 -5

2010/11 3,244 19% 79 90 89 79 86 92 0 4 -3

2011/12 2,922 13% 80 89 90 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

All level 2 long 16-18

2009/10 1,903 11% 73 85 86 77 86 90 -4 -1 -4

2010/11 1,499 9% 79 88 89 80 87 92 -1 1 -3

2011/12 1,375 6% 83 90 92 83 89 93 0 1 -1

All level 2 long 19+

2009/10 1693 10% 72 87 84 75 84 89 -3 4 -5

2010/11 1745 10% 80 91 88 77 85 90 3 6 -2

2011/12 1,547 7% 77 88 87 79 87 91 -2 1 -4

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College Rate National Rate Difference

Level 3 Starts Vol% S R A S R A S R A

All level 3 long

2009/10 3,813 22% 72 85 85 77 86 90 -5 -1 -5

2010/11 3,918 23% 75 88 85 78 86 91 -3 2 -6

2011/12 3,745 16% 77 90 86 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

All level 3 long 16-18

2009/10 2,659 16% 72 84 85 78 87 90 -6 -3 -5

2010/11 2,857 17% 74 88 83 79 87 90 -5 1 -7

2011/12 2,576 11% 76 90 84 80 88 91 -4 2 -7

All level 3 long 19+

2009/10 1154 7% 70 84 84 75 83 90 -5 1 -6

2010/11 1061 6% 78 88 89 77 84 92 1 5 -3

2011/12 1,169 5% 80 90 90 78 85 92 2 5 -2

45

One college, many successes