Macclesfield College
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REPORT FROM THE INSPECTORATE Macclesfield College January 1994 THE FURTHER EDUCATION FUNDING COUNCIL THE FURTHER EDUCATION FUNDING COUNCIL The Further Education Funding Council has a statutory duty to ensure that there are satisfactory arrangements to assess the quality of provision in the further education sector. It discharges this duty in part through its inspectorate, which inspects and reports on each college in the FEFC- funded sector every four years. The inspectorate also assesses and reports on a national basis on specific curriculum areas and advises the Council’s quality assessment committee. GRADE DESCRIPTORS The procedures for assessing quality are given in FEFC Circular 93/28. In the course of inspecting colleges, inspectors are expected to assess the strengths and weaknesses of each aspect of provision they inspect. Their assessments are set out clearly in their reports. Inspectors also summarise their judgements on the balance between strengths and weaknesses using a five-point scale. Each grade on the scale has the following descriptor: • grade 1 – provision which has many strengths and very few weaknesses • grade 2 – provision in which the strengths clearly outweigh the weaknesses • grade 3 – provision with a balance of strengths and weaknesses • grade 4 – provision in which the weaknesses clearly outweigh the strengths • grade 5 – provision which has many weaknesses and very few strengths. Cheylesmore House Quinton Road Coventry CV1 2WT Telephone 0203 863000 Fax 0203 863100 FEFC INSPECTION REPORT 05/94 MACCLESFIELD COLLEGE OF FURTHER EDUCATION NORTH WEST REGION Inspected October-November 1993 Summary Macclesfield College, Cheshire is a major provider of further education for east Cheshire. It is responsive to the needs of local industry and the local community and has developed a wide range of full-time and part-time programmes. A particular strength is the thoroughness of the college’s strategic planning, to which the governors have made a major contribution. Teachers strive to meet the varied needs of students, many of whom have relatively low achievements on entry to college. The efforts of teachers and students, complemented by strong guidance and support arrangements, are not always reflected in students’ achievements in external examinations, which are often modest. In order to assess more accurately the achievements of its students the college should develop the means to measure the value added to individual students’ levels of achievement as a result of their studies at the college. Teachers are well- qualified. Many of them have recent and relevant industrial experience. The computer-based management information system has significant limitations and is not yet capable of meeting management needs. Quality assurance is at an early stage of development. There is a sound framework for course evaluation and review but, in practice, course teams operate review procedures with varying degrees of effectiveness. Other weaknesses are the management of staff development; the quality of library provision and of students’ access to information technology; and the links between GCE and GCSE courses and vocational courses where both form part of an individual student’s programme of study. The grades awarded to aspects of cross-college provision and curriculum areas as a result of the inspection are given below. Aspects of cross-college provision Grade Responsiveness and range of provision 2 Governance and management 3 Students’ recruitment, guidance and support 2 Quality assurance 3 Resources 3 Curriculum area Grade Curriculum area Grade Business and administration 2 Science and mathematics 3 Engineering and technology 2 Catering and care 3 Humanities 2 Art and design 3 CONTENTS Paragraph Introduction 1 The college and its aims 3 Responsiveness and range of provision 7 Governance and management 16 Students’ recruitment, guidance and support 30 Teaching and the promotion of learning 36 Students’ achievements 47 Quality assurance 55 Resources 60 Conclusions and issues 66 Figures 1 INTRODUCTION 1 Macclesfield College of Further Education, Cheshire, was inspected in two stages during October and November 1993. A total of 55 inspector days were used for the inspection of specialist subject areas during the period 18 October - 3 November. Aspects of cross-college provision were subsequently inspected by a team of nine inspectors who spent 45 inspector days in the college from 8-12 November. Inspectors visited 150 classes, examined representative samples of students’ work and held discussions with governors, staff, students, local employers, representatives of the local training and enterprise council, a headteacher and careers service staff. 2 The report is based on inspections carried out according to the framework and guidelines described in Council Circular 93/28. The framework describes a four-year inspection cycle. When this cycle becomes fully established colleges will have the opportunity to respond to the findings of earlier inspection visits before their quadrennial inspections and the subsequent published report. As the inspection of the college occurred early in the cycle, the opportunity for such a response has not been available. THE COLLEGE AND ITS AIMS 3 Macclesfield College is a medium-size general further education college. Its main buildings were purpose-built in the 1960s on the Park Lane site on the outskirts of Macclesfield. It also occupies older buildings on a town-centre site at Park Green. At the time of inspection there were approximately 4,346 full-time and part-time enrolments, and a further 5,000 adult education enrolments. The enrolments included 814 full-time students and 400 students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities most of whom were following discrete specialist courses. Enrolments by age and mode of study, excluding adult education, are shown in figures 1 and 2. The college has a full-time equivalent staff establishment of 118 teachers and 52 support staff: 93 teachers and 32 support staff have full- time posts (figure 3). There are courses in business and administration, engineering and technology, humanities, science and mathematics, art and design, and in care, leisure and catering. The work is organised within four teaching departments: business and European studies, creative and community studies, general studies, and technology. Enrolments by programme area are shown in figure 4. 4 The college’s main catchment area is the district of Macclesfield which has a population of approximately 140,000. A substantial number of full- time students are also attracted from Congleton, nine miles away. The district is predominantly affluent and has a relatively low unemployment rate. A high proportion of the work force is employed in the financial services industries, many commuting to Stockport and Manchester. During 2 1992-93, 76 per cent of the 16 year olds in Macclesfield stayed on in full- time education. 5 There are eight 11-18 schools in the Macclesfield district. Until recently, most of these concentrated on the provision of General Certificate of Education advanced level (GCE A level) courses, but since the late 1980s there have been various initiatives to develop vocational provision up to the intermediate level of General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs) or its equivalent. The college has worked with two of the local schools to develop joint provision but conflicting objectives have prevented any serious long-term planning. The numbers of students from Macclesfield attending the South Cheshire and Mid-Cheshire colleges have substantially reduced as Macclesfield College has widened its course provision. Stockport College attracts some students from the north of the district for courses in construction and motor vehicle engineering which are currently not provided at Macclesfield. 6 The college’s mission is to provide excellent quality of education and training for people of all ages in a caring, accessible environment and to offer services which are responsive to the needs of individuals and the community as a whole. Specific targets for 1993-94 include increased enrolments, the extension of GNVQ provision, the strengthening of core skills in GCE and General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) programmes, and developing the range and flexibility of access provision. RESPONSIVENESS AND RANGE OF PROVISION 7 The college has a wide range of programmes which includes: full- time and part-time GCE A level and GCSE courses; courses in most vocational areas; adult education, of which just over 30 per cent is funded by the FEFC; and provision for students with learning disabilities and disabilities both on specialist courses and, with support, on mainstream courses. 8 The college has exceeded its targets for all modes of provision except evening classes, putting it within 5 per cent of its enrolment forecast. The college is currently examining the reasons for the shortfall, which is predominantly in the recruitment of adult students. 9 The college does not offer courses in construction and motor vehicle engineering and there is some constraint on the type of engineering which can be studied because of the college’s specialist focus on aerospace and electronic engineering. It is also the case that students wishing to study vocational courses at the introductory level have a limited choice. However, the general availability of courses is enhanced by the wide variety of modes of attendance offered to potential students and there are good opportunities for