Bilborough College
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Bilborough College REPORT FROM THE INSPECTORATE 1999-00 THE FURTHER EDUCATION FUNDING COUNCIL THE FURTHER EDUCATION FUNDING COUNCIL The Further Education Funding Council (FEFC) has a legal duty to make sure further education in England is properly assessed. The FEFC’s inspectorate inspects and reports on each college of further education according to a four-year cycle. It also inspects other further education provision funded by the FEFC. In fulfilling its work programme, the inspectorate assesses and reports nationally on the curriculum, disseminates good practice and advises the FEFC’s quality assessment committee. College inspections are carried out in accordance with the framework and guidelines described in Council Circulars 97/12, 97/13 and 97/22. Inspections seek to validate the data and judgements provided by colleges in self-assessment reports. They involve full-time inspectors and registered part-time inspectors who have knowledge of, and experience in, the work they inspect. A member of the Council’s audit service works with inspectors in assessing aspects of governance and management. All colleges are invited to nominate a senior member of their staff to participate in the inspection as a team member. Cheylesmore House Quinton Road Coventry CV1 2WT Telephone 024 7686 3000 Fax 024 7686 3100 Website www.fefc.ac.uk © FEFC 2000 You may photocopy this report and use extracts in promotional or other material provided quotes are accurate, and the findings are not misrepresented. Contents Paragraph Summary Context The college and its mission 1 The inspection 7 Curriculum areas General science 10 Business and accounting 16 English and communications 21 Cross-college provision Support for students 26 General resources 36 Quality assurance 43 Governance 52 Management 61 Conclusions 70 College statistics Bilborough College Grade Descriptors Student Achievements Inspectors assess the strengths and weaknesses Where data on student achievements appear in of each aspect of provision they inspect. Their tables, levels of achievement are shown in three assessments are set out in the report. They use ways: a five-point scale to summarise the balance • as number of starters, which is the number between strengths and weaknesses. of enrolments on qualifications where the The descriptors for the grades are: student was expected to complete the qualification that college year. For • grade 1 – outstanding provision which has example, a student on a two-year many strengths and few weaknesses programme who began their programme • grade 2 – good provision in which the in October 1995, would appear in the strengths clearly outweigh the weaknesses results for 1996-97 because this is the • grade 3 – satisfactory provision with year in which they expected to complete strengths but also some weaknesses their qualification • grade 4 – less than satisfactory provision • as a retention rate, which is the in which the weaknesses clearly outweigh percentage of qualifications which students the strengths have completed as expected or where they are continuing their studies beyond the • grade 5 – poor provision which has few expected end date of the qualification. For strengths and many weaknesses. programmes of study of two years or more, Audit conclusions are expressed as good, retention is calculated across the whole adequate or weak. programme, that is, from the start to the Aggregated grades for aspects of cross-college end of the qualification provision and curriculum areas, for colleges • as an achievement rate, which is the inspected during 1998-99, are shown in the number of qualifications students have following table. fully achieved as a percentage of completed qualifications with a known Grade outcome. Partial achievements are not included. 12345 %%%%% Curriculum areas 10 53 30 7 – Cross-college provision 14 54 23 7 2 Source: Quality and Standards in Further Education in England 1998-99: Chief inspector’s annual report Sample size: 104 college inspections Summary Bilborough College parents. A strong commitment to quality assurance, rigorous self-assessment and East Midlands Region thorough assessment of the quality of teaching have led to improvement. From 1997 to 1999, Inspected March 2000 the GCE A level pass rate improved significantly from 85% to 94% and there was a 14% increase Bilborough College is a sixth form college in the A to C pass rate. Progress has been made located on the north west boundary of in remodelling the accommodation. Changes in Nottingham. The college produced its fifth the organisation of the college have been well self-assessment report in preparation for managed and there has been effective inspection. The report is comprehensive and communication and consultation. Links and thorough. It has sections covering FEFC liaison with other educational institutions is programme areas which are subdivided into strong. Governance of the college is good. self-assessments for individual courses. Each Governors have a clear vision of the future course has been graded. It was prepared using direction of the college. They monitor students’ the headings in Council Circular 97/12, achievements rigorously. The college should Validating Self-assessment. Inspectors agreed improve: ways of promoting and extending with most of the judgements in the self- individual learning; target-setting and action- assessment report but identified some additional planning for individual students; the inadequate strengths and weaknesses in both cross-college analysis of value-added data; low achievement and curriculum areas. on some GCSE programmes; governors’ The college offers courses in five FEFC procedures for monitoring the achievement of programme areas. Work in three programme all strategic objectives; the underdeveloped links areas was inspected. Aspects of cross-college with the local community and with local provision were also inspected. The college’s industry; and some inadequate social areas and primary focus is on GCE A level students aged classrooms. 16 to 19. Full-time student enrolments have The grades awarded as a result of the inspection increased by 45% since 1996. Staff give are given below. students strong support. Teaching is effectively planned and effectively managed. There is a consistently good standard of teaching and learning. Of the lessons observed, 87% were good or outstanding. Students’ attendance and progress are monitored closely. There is consistently high achievement on GCE A level programmes. There are good links with Curriculum area Grade Cross-college provision Grade General science 2 Support for students 2 Business and accounting 2 General resources 3 English and communications 2 Quality assurance 2 Governance 2 Management 2 Bilborough College 1 Context The College and its Mission have increased by 45% over the last four years, with an enrolment of 906 full-time students in 1 Bilborough College is a sixth form college November 1999. Since the last inspection located on the north west boundary of report, the enrolment profile has altered. Nottingham, 3 miles from the city centre, 1 mile Now almost all students, currently 97%, follow from the M1 and close to the Derbyshire border. two-year advanced level programmes of study. The college is situated on a large open and The one-year course remains but it is a small spacious campus shared with a primary school element of the college offer, providing a and an 11 to 16 comprehensive school. The site foundation course for general certificate of of 24 acres includes extensive sports fields. education advanced level (GCE A level) rather The college opened in 1957 as a county than, as previously, a vocational/GCSE grammar school and became a sixth form programme. Numbers on this course have college as part of a reorganisation of secondary reduced accordingly to 25 full-time equivalent education in 1975. students in 1999-2000. Approximately 12% of 2 Within the city of Nottingham and in the students come from minority ethnic groups, surrounding county areas there is intense mostly from Asian communities. This competition between providers of post-16 represents a slight fall on the 1995-96 figure of education and training to recruit students aged 15%, but is still well above the Greater 16 to 19. In Nottingham there are, in addition Nottingham Training and Enterprise Council to the college, two general further education (TEC) figure for Nottingham of 5.9%. The colleges and a tertiary college. Also in the city college operates a strategic partnership with there are three denominational schools, two Broxtowe College, Nottingham, a local college of independent high schools and a city technology further education. This partnership provides a college, all of which have sixth forms. In the growing programme of evening and weekend county area there are two sixth form centres provision. In addition to the rise in student and several 11 to 18 schools near Bilborough numbers, staff numbers and the balance College. Within the city the participation rate at between teaching and support staff have also 16 and the level of educational achievement are changed. The teaching staff establishment has low. The raising of both these issues has given reduced from 50 full-time equivalents in education a very high profile in both the newly 1995-96 to 44 full-time equivalents in November established unitary authority in Nottingham and 1999. For support staff there has been an the newly created Greater Nottingham Lifelong increase from 11.4 full-time equivalents to 22 Learning Partnership. In the city the full-time equivalents during the same period. participation rate in further education at 16 is 4 The college senior management team 62% compared with 71.4% in the county, and comprises the principal, two vice-principals, the achievement rate of five general certificate three directors, three heads of division and the of secondary education (GCSE) grades A to C is staff development officer. The college is even lower at 28.7% compared with a county organised on the basis of three curriculum figure of 43.4%, and a national average for divisions and a range of cross-college posts of England of 47.9%.