Ofsted round-up – This week: Colleges show polarised results

Gateshead Sixth Form College, Newcastle

Summary of grades awarded:

Effectiveness of provision Outstanding: Grade 1

Capacity to improve Outstanding: Grade 1

Achievement and standards Outstanding: Grade 1

Quality of provision Outstanding: Grade 1

Leadership and management Outstanding: Grade 1

Equality of opportunity Outstanding: Contributory Grade 1

Gateshead College is a large general further education college (GFE) and in 2008 was moved to a purpose built £36.5 million campus in the Gateshead Quays. In 2007/08 Gateshead college had 7,120 enrolments with the majority of full time learners being 16-18 year olds, adults make up for 93% of all part time enrolments. The college holds Investors in People, is Matrix accredited and has three centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs).

The inspection has found that the effectiveness of provision is outstanding and that since the last inspection, the college’s strategy for improvement has facilitated the building of four imposing specialist-learning centres and increased participation rates for 16 to 19 year olds and for adults on T2G programmes.

The college’s capacity to improve is outstanding with challenging targets being both set and exceeded and success rates improving significantly. Some key strengths of the college include; outstanding success rates in many areas of provision, learners’ good skills development, excellent teaching and learning and exemplary and responsive partnerships to increase participation.

Ofsted agreed with the college’s evaluation that achievement and standards are outstanding with the success rate on long courses for learners aged 16-18 being consistently outstanding. The overall long course success rate for adults is high; well above the national averages. The overall success rate for T2G learners was outstanding in both 2006/07 and 2007/08.

Southwark College, London

Summary of grades awarded:

Effectiveness of provision Inadequate: Grade 4

Capacity to improve Inadequate: Grade 4

Achievement and standards Inadequate: Grade 4

Quality of provision Inadequate: Grade 4

Leadership and management Inadequate: Grade 4

Equality of opportunity Good: Contributory Grade 2

Southwark College, situated in the London borough of Southwark, is a large general further education (GFE) college. The borough of Southwark is one of the most deprived local authority areas in the country. In 2006/07, the college enrolled nearly 8,500 students on around 20,000 courses, 75% of which were adults with the largest number of enrolments for both age groups being in preparation for life and work. The college has an Education Other than at School (EOTAS) contract with the local authority, designed to reduce the number of young people who live in the borough and are not in education, employment or training.

The overall effectiveness of the college is inadequate with insufficient progress being made in improving students success rates and the quality of teaching and learning since the last inspection. Achievements and standards were found to be inadequate, however the large number of students taking qualifications at level 1 in preparation for life and work do well.

The inspection has found that the capacity of the college to make further improvements is inadequate, as it does not have a successful record of securing consistent and significant improvement, particularly in the key areas of students’ success and teaching and learning.

The college’s Train to Gain achievement and standards are inadequate, although the college judges them to be satisfactory in its draft self-assessment report. Although success rates for both age groups on courses at level 1 are good, the college has made insufficient progress in improving success rates on courses at levels 2 and 3. Overall success rates are below the national average for similar colleges, in most cases significantly so.

South Devon College, Devon

Summary of grades awarded:

Effectiveness of provision Outstanding: Grade 1

Capacity to improve Outstanding: Grade 1

Achievement and standards Outstanding: Grade 1

Quality of provision Outstanding: Grade 1

Leadership and management Outstanding: Grade 1

Equality of opportunity Outstanding: Contributory Grade 1

South Devon College is a medium-sized general further education college. The college has a training centre in Newton Abbot which focuses on work with employers and Entry to Employment provision (E2E). The Higher Education provision has been developed in partnership with the universities of Plymouth and Exeter. The college holds a centre of vocational excellence in construction trades and has achieved the Training Quality Standard.

The inspection has found South Devon College to be an outstanding college with both achievements and standards being outstanding. The college’s capacity to improve is outstanding as are the thoroughness and accuracy of the college’s self-assessment process with detailed and effective quality improvement plans underpinning the whole process.

The effectiveness of steps taken to promote improvement since the last inspection is outstanding with highly effective leadership and management securing improvements in all of the key areas identified in the last inspection. Some key strengths within the college include; high success rates, highly effective use of information learning technology with enhances learning, extensive curriculum range that meets the needs and interests of learners and an outstanding capacity to improve.

The college’s Train to Gain achievement and standards are outstanding and the grade identified in the college’s self-assessment report is accurate with the overall success rate being high and improving at a faster rate than the national average since the last inspection.