Kimberley 16–19 STEM College 16–19 Academy

Further education and skills inspection report Kimberley 16–19 STEM College 16–19 academy Inspection dates 24–26 January 2017 Overall effectiveness Good Effectiveness of leadership and Good 16 to 19 study programmes Good management Quality of teaching, learning and Good assessment Personal development, behaviour and Outstanding welfare Outcomes for learners Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement Summary of key findings This is a good provider Directors, leaders and managers have taken Nearly all students progress to higher levels of effective action to improve the quality of learning or training when they complete their provision so that the large majority of students studies. A large majority progress to their first make at least good progress. choice of university. Teachers have high expectations for students; Good careers advice and guidance enable the standards of teaching, learning and students to make informed choices about their assessment are good. next steps. Students’ behaviour, attendance and attitude The proportion of students who achieve their toward their studies are exemplary. qualifications is high; the large majority attain high grades. Students quickly improve their levels of maturity and confidence, and rapidly increase Directors, leaders and managers have designed their subject knowledge, which enables the a carefully focused curriculum that is responsive large majority of students to excel. to local and national economic priorities and meets the ambitions of students well. The large majority of teachers assess students’ progress expertly and provide detailed feedback Students develop their independent research that enables students to improve rapidly. and analysis skills well. The quality of teaching, learning and Leaders’ summary evaluation of the quality of assessment in a small minority of subject areas provision does not clearly identify the colleges’ is not yet consistently effective. strengths and weaknesses and lacks sufficient detail or precision to inform future actions. A small minority of vocational level 3 students in 2015/16 were not challenged sufficiently and Leaders’ quality improvement plans do not as a result they only achieved the subsidiary contain sufficient detail on how improvements diploma and not the extended diploma of which will be made or how progress will be measured. they were capable. Full report Information about the provider Kimberley College is a small 16 to 19 academy specialising in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). It opened as a free school in September 2013 and is operated by Wootton Academy Trust, a multi-academy trust. Most students study at the Stewartby campus, Bedford; the remainder, who are enrolled on arts-based programmes, study at the trust’s other school, Wootton Upper School. The college offers provision in 11 subject areas. Approximately one third of students follow a STEM-based programme of study including science and mathematics, which has the largest student numbers. The majority of remaining students follow humanities- based subjects. Nearly all of the current 380 students are aged 16 to 18 and are enrolled on study programmes. The large majority of students study AS- and A-level subjects, with the remainder on vocational level 3 programmes. Most students have achieved A* to C grades in English and mathematics prior to starting at the college. What does the provider need to do to improve further? Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in the small minority of subject areas where this is not yet consistently good by ensuring that: – managers provide professional development opportunities for the small minority of teachers whose practice is not yet consistently good – leaders encourage the most effective teachers to share good practice – teachers ensure that students of different abilities have the opportunity to maximise their skills development and make rapid progress – teachers assess accurately students’ levels of understanding, so that they achieve the high grades of which they are capable – teachers develop students’ higher-level writing skills to prepare them well for further study and higher education. Ensure that leaders’ evaluation of the quality or provision draws on accurate information about the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and the impact that this has on outcomes for students. Ensure that leaders’ quality improvement plans specify targets for improvement, including benchmarking against similar providers, thereby enabling directors, senior leaders and other stakeholders to assess precisely the progress made in raising the quality of provision and its impact on students’ progress. Ensure that the small minority of students on vocational level 3 programmes study and achieve qualifications that are sufficiently challenging. Inspection report: Kimberley 16–19 STEM College, 24–26 January 2017 Page 2 of 11 Inspection judgements Effectiveness of leadership and management Good Directors, leaders and managers are appropriately ambitious for the future of the college and its students; since the previous inspection, they have worked with great determination and commitment to bring about clear improvement in the quality of provision. Following the previous inspection, the board of directors acted decisively in appointing a new principal to bring greater autonomy to the college within the trust. The principal is now directly accountable to the board for the quality of provision at the college. The principal has worked successfully with staff to establish a shared vision for the college. As a result, staff feel valued and respected; they have ownership of the shared values and contribute enthusiastically to improving their professional expertise and the quality of provision for the benefit of students. The principal and leadership team have taken rapid and effective steps to refocus the strategic direction and identity of the college. Leaders now ensure that the college provides a greater breadth in its curriculum which better meets the evolving needs of students, schools and communities while successfully retaining its core focus STEM subjects. The curriculum is closely aligned with regional local enterprise partnership and national priorities. Leaders ensure that strong and productive partnerships with STEM- based employers and universities are used effectively to develop challenging enrichment projects, which enable students to pursue their future studies and careers in science and technology. Leaders and managers have a very accurate understanding of the progress that students are making and the actions needed to improve teachers’ performance. They have implemented progressively a range of quality improvement strategies and have largely resolved the weaknesses identified at the previous inspection. As a result, leaders have secured sustained improvement in outcomes for the great majority of students. Leaders and managers are aware acutely of the areas of college provision where further improvement is still needed. They scrutinise routinely performance data and plan carefully focused actions for improvement. For example, managers now correlate data from lesson observations, student feedback and student outcomes in order to assess precisely the quality of teaching and learning in each subject area. Where teachers do not improve their teaching after receiving targeted support, effective performance management processes ensure that they quickly leave the college. As a result, the overall quality of teaching, learning and assessment is much improved since the previous inspection. Teachers utilise the professional feedback they receive from accurate observations of their performance, to reflect on their teaching practice and improve their performance. They value the broad range of professional development opportunities provided for them, including the informal help available from experienced learning coaches to refine specific teaching skills. Leaders and managers recognise that further action is needed to ensure that the quality of teaching and learning is consistently good in the small minority of subjects in the college where this is not yet the case. The self-assessment process is thorough and takes good account of the views of key stakeholders. However, the summary evaluation does not capture the strengths and Inspection report: Kimberley 16–19 STEM College, 24–26 January 2017 Page 3 of 11 weaknesses of the quality of provision with sufficient detail or precision to inform future actions. For example, the summary evaluation states that there are recognised departmental strengths, without identifying these specifically. Leaders have not yet identified clearly an appropriate type of provision with which to compare the college’s performance. Leaders recognise that the college’s current quality improvement action plans are not sufficiently specific in setting well-defined and measurable targets for improvement to enable directors, leaders, and managers to identify quickly, and with sufficient precision, the impact of actions on students’ achievements and progress. Managers have already begun to develop much sharper quality improvement plans for the college, but it is too soon to judge their effectiveness. The governance of the provider Directors have highly relevant skills which they use effectively to contribute to the development of the college. They have used their skills well to ensure that the provision has evolved to meet the

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