Derby Tertiary College, Wilmorton
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REPORT FROM THE INSPECTORATE Derby Tertiary College, Wilmorton June 1997 THE FURTHER EDUCATION FUNDING COUNCIL THE FURTHER EDUCATION FUNDING COUNCIL The Further Education Funding Council 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 every four years. The inspectorate also assesses and reports nationally on the curriculum and gives advice to the FEFC’s quality assessment committee. College inspections are carried out in accordance with the framework and guidelines described in Council Circular 93/28. They involve full-time inspectors and registered part-time inspectors who have knowledge and experience in the work they inspect. Inspection teams normally include at least one member who does not work in education and a member of staff from the college being inspected. Cheylesmore House Quinton Road Coventry CV1 2WT Telephone 01203 863000 Fax 01203 863100 © FEFC 1997 You may photocopy this report. CONTENTS Paragraph Summary Introduction 1 The college and its aims 2 Responsiveness and range of provision 7 Governance and management 20 Students’ recruitment, guidance and support 28 Teaching and the promotion of learning 39 Students’ achievements 51 Quality assurance 58 Resources 71 Conclusions and issues 80 Figures GRADE DESCRIPTORS The procedures for assessing quality are set out in the Council Circular 93/28. During their inspection, inspectors assess the strengths and weaknesses of each aspect of provision they inspect. Their assessments are set out in the reports. They also use a five-point grading scale to summarise the balance between strengths and weaknesses. The descriptors for the grades are: • 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. By June 1996, some 329 college inspections had been completed. The grade profiles for aspects of cross-college provision and programme areas for the 329 colleges are shown in the following table. College grade profiles 1993-96 Inspection grades Activity 123 45 Programme area 9% 59% 29% 3% <1% Cross-college provision 14% 50% 31% 5% <1% Overall 12% 54% 30% 4% <1% FEFC INSPECTION REPORT 60/97 DERBY TERTIARY COLLEGE, WILMORTON EAST MIDLANDS REGION Inspected March 1996-February 1997 Summary Derby Tertiary College, Wilmorton is one of two further education colleges in Derby. In 1994, the FEFC conducted an enquiry into the college’s governance and management. Following this, a new governing body was established. The new governors have a clear understanding of the issues facing the college. The college has a financial deficit. It has submitted a recovery plan to the FEFC for the elimination of this deficit within four years. The managers have provided effective leadership during a period of change. The quality of teaching is good. In most curriculum areas, the students’ achievements are satisfactory. Prospective students receive effective help and guidance when they enquire about courses. Students’ enrolment and induction procedures are good. The quality of the accommodation is high. Most curriculum areas are well equipped. The college should: improve its management information system; clarify the respective roles of, and the relationship between, the library, the information technology resources, and the learning resource areas; further improve its provision for local employers; improve its tutorial system; increase the use of performance indicator targets for the quality of its provision; complete the introduction of its staff appraisal systems; and enable teachers to update their industrial and commercial experience. The grades awarded 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: staffing 2 equipment/learning resources 2 accommodation 2 Curriculum area Grade Curriculum area Grade Science, mathematics, Caring 2 and computing 2 Performing and visual arts 2 Construction 2 English, other humanities, Engineering 2 and teacher education 2 Business 2 Provision for students with learning difficulties and/or Catering, leisure and tourism 2 disabilities and basic education 2 1 INTRODUCTION 1 Derby Tertiary College, Wilmorton was inspected between March 1996 and February 1997. Inspectors spent 95 days in the college. They visited 267 classes, examined students’ work and inspected enrolment and induction processes. Discussions were held with college governors, managers, staff and students, and representatives of the local community, employers, schools, higher education and the Southern Derbyshire Chamber of Commerce, Training and Enterprise. THE COLLEGE AND ITS AIMS 2 The college was established in September 1989 following a review of post-primary education in the City of Derby and southern Derbyshire. As a result of this reorganisation, two tertiary colleges were formed and the only schools permitted to have a sixth form were one Roman Catholic school within the city boundary and two other schools just outside the city. More recently, six of the 14 secondary schools in the city have developed sixth forms and three of the schools have been designated as technology colleges. 3 The City of Derby has a population of 230,500 of which approximately 10 per cent belong to minority ethnic groups. Although engineering-based industries are not as pre-eminent as they once were in Derby they are still important locally and they require a highly-skilled workforce. Major employers include the Rolls Royce group of companies, various railway companies, and the Toyota car company which is located some seven miles from the college. The college serves the city and the mainly rural area of southern Derbyshire. The unemployment rate in the city is 8.7 per cent and in southern Derbyshire it is 6.3 per cent. 4 The college provides courses in all the Further Education Funding Council (FEFC) programme areas except agriculture. At July 1996, there were 7,582 students enrolled at the college. Full-time students accounted for 17 per cent of the enrolments. Approximately 54 per cent of the students were aged 25 or over and 30 per cent were on courses leading to qualifications at level three or higher. Student numbers by age, by level of study, and by mode of attendance and curriculum area are shown in figures 1, 2 and 3. 5 At July 1996, there were 363 full-time equivalent staff of whom 318.5 were full time/fractional. There were 220 full-time equivalent teachers. A staff profile, with staff expressed as full-time equivalents, is shown in figure 4. The principal was appointed in July 1995. The directorate comprises the principal and five directors. There is a director of studies and four other directors who are responsible for finance and information, marketing and customer services, quality assurance, and research and development, respectively. Courses are provided by 11 schools, each of which has a head. Most schools also have two assistant heads and a number of programme co-ordinators. An additional school has a contract 2 to provide education at a nearby prison. The heads of school report to the director of studies. 6 The college, in its mission statement, sets out to ‘be a leading partner in widening education and training opportunities, and raising standards to world class levels, supporting the success and economic growth of the City of Derby’. RESPONSIVENESS AND RANGE OF PROVISION 7 The college offers a broad range of further education courses. There are 21 courses leading to general national vocational qualifications (GNVQs), 27 general certificate of education advanced level (GCE A level) subjects and 19 general certificate of secondary education (GCSE) subjects. The college is facing increasing competition for GCE A level students from local school sixth forms. In recent years, the number of GCE A level students at the college has decreased significantly. The college provides a small amount of higher education and this includes an art foundation course and an access to higher education course. Courses leading to national vocational qualifications (NVQs) are offered in 32 different skill areas and there are 133 part-time vocational courses. A vocational credit programme is provided for students who have not yet decided on a single area of study or need more time to prepare for a higher level of study. The one-year or two-year full-time programme allows students to explore a variety of options at entry, foundation and intermediate levels. There is a structured vocational credit programme at entry level for students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. On some courses, students can progress faster than others by having their knowledge and skills accredited when they consider they are ready to be assessed. Some courses can be made up of units which are chosen by the students to meet their individual needs. There is scope to extend this flexibility in assessment methods and in course design to more of the college’s provision. 8 The college is developing a range of additional courses which can be added to a student’s main course as part of the ‘Wilmorton credit framework’. Most of these additional courses are accredited. They include sports and information technology options, together with more unusual subjects such as deaf awareness and performing arts set design and construction. The accreditation which students can obtain through this framework adds value to their achievements at college, helps them to progress to further or higher education, and strengthens their employment prospects. 9 There is an extensive programme of some 650 work placements arranged with employers in Derby and surrounding areas. Work placements are arranged for many full-time students and for trainees on youth credit programmes.