Aylesbury College REPORT FROM THE INSPECTORATE 1997-98 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 according to a four-year cycle. It also 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 01203 863000 Fax 01203 863100 © FEFC 1998 You may photocopy this report. A college may use its report in promotional material provided quotes are accurate, and the findings of the inspection are not misrepresented. Contents Paragraph Summary Context The college and its mission 1 The inspection 8 Curriculum areas Construction 10 Engineering 16 Business 22 Health and social care 29 Hairdressing and beauty 35 English, sociology, psychology and law 41 Languages 46 Provision for students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities 51 Cross-college provision Support for students 57 General resources 64 Quality assurance 71 Governance 77 Management 83 Conclusions 92 College statistics Aylesbury College Grade Descriptors Retention and Pass Rates Inspectors assess the strengths and weaknesses Where data on students’ achievements appear of each aspect of provision they inspect. Their in tables, levels of achievement are shown in assessments are set out in the report. They use two ways: a five-point scale to summarise the balance • as a retention rate, which is the proportion between strengths and weaknesses. of students who completed a course in The descriptors for the grades are: relation to the number enrolled on 1 November in the first year of the course • grade 1– outstanding provision which has • as a pass rate, which is the proportion of many strengths and few weaknesses students which passed examinations in • grade 2 – good provision in which the relation to the number entered. Pass rates strengths clearly outweigh the weaknesses for GCE A level are quoted for grades A to • grade 3 – satisfactory provision with E unless otherwise specified. Pass rates strengths but also some weaknesses for GCSE courses are quoted for grade C or • grade 4 – less than satisfactory provision above unless otherwise specified. Pass in which the weaknesses clearly outweigh rates for vocational and professional the strengths awards are for successful completion of the full award. • grade 5 – poor provision which has few strengths and many weaknesses. Aggregated grades for aspects of cross-college provision, curriculum areas and lesson observations, for colleges inspected during 1996-97, are shown in the following table. Grade 12345 %%%%% Curriculum areas 9 59 30 2 – Cross-college provision 18 51 27 4 – Lesson observations 19 42 31 7 1 Source: Quality and Standards in Further Education in England 1996-97: Chief inspector’s annual report. Grades were awarded using the guidelines in Council Circular 93/28, Assessing Achievement. Sample size: 122 college inspections Summary Aylesbury College for students on some courses; improved quality assurance arrangements; effective Eastern Region communications throughout the college; and productive working relationships between Inspected January 1998 governors and senior managers. The college should address: the low levels of achievement on Aylesbury College is a general further education GCE A level and some vocational courses; poor college located on two sites in Aylesbury. Its levels of retention on some vocational courses; first self-assessment report, together with its the unreliable data on students’ achievements; action plan, was produced in 1997. The annual the inadequate library facilities at Hampden planning cycle of the college links the Hall; the limited use of targets and standards to self-assessment process and its outcomes with measure quality improvements; and the the development of the operational plan. The monitoring of college charter commitments. provision of clear referenced evidence enabled the inspection team to substantiate all the The grades awarded as a result of the inspection judgements and grades reached by the college are given below. for its cross-college provision. There was less agreement about curriculum area grades. Inspectors concluded that the college had overestimated the quality of some areas and underestimated it in others. The college offers provision in all 10 of the FEFC’s programme areas. Six programme areas were inspected together with aspects of cross-college provision. The six programme areas were awarded eight grades. The curriculum is well managed. Individual support for students is strong. Inspectors concluded that there are: productive links with industry and local schools; good levels of additional learning support; effective procedures for recording and monitoring students’ progress; high pass rates Curriculum area Grade Cross-college provision Grade Construction 3 Support for students 2 Engineering 2 General resources 3 Business 2 Quality assurance 3 Health and social care 3 Governance 2 Hairdressing and beauty 2 Management 3 English, sociology, psychology and law 4 Languages 2 Provision for students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities 3 Aylesbury College 1 Context The College and its Mission The college met its Further Education Funding Council (FEFC) funding targets in 1994-95, 1 Aylesbury College, founded in 1962, is a 1995-96 and 1996-97. The college has developed medium-sized further education college. It draws contracted provision with Thames Valley most of its students from Aylesbury Vale which Enterprise, its local training and enterprise council covers the central part of Buckinghamshire. The (TEC), the European Social Fund and other college operates on a main site close to the town funding organisations. centre, and a second site, Hampden Hall, about three miles away, which includes a 280 acre farm. 4 The main areas of course provision reflect Within reasonable travelling distance there are employment opportunities in the college’s further education colleges at Amersham, travel-to-work area and are extended as new Dunstable, Oxford, Milton Keynes, Hemel employment patterns develop. The college also Hempstead and Thame. In addition, within the collaborates with a range of partners to offer college’s catchment area, there are 16 local programmes for those with learning difficulties education authority (LEA) maintained schools and and/or disabilities. Partnerships with a number of two grant-maintained schools, all with sixth forms. local higher education establishments support Buckinghamshire LEA operates a selective system higher level courses in management, teacher of secondary education with transfer at 12 years of training, access and higher national certificates age. The Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School lies and/or diplomas. The college also provides adjacent to the main site of the college and there is education programmes for Grendon and Spring shared access to the two sites. There are also four Hill prisons. schools providing education for students with 5 The curriculum is delivered through eight learning difficulties and/or disabilities in the area. programme teams led by programme managers. The LEA operates an adult education service in Within each programme team courses are the town of Aylesbury and in other centres in the grouped in sections. There are 132 full-time surrounding rural area. lecturers, including fractional appointments, and 2 The population of Aylesbury Vale in 1991 109 staff supporting the work of the college in was 146,000. Aylesbury, the county town of administrative, technical and clerical positions. Buckinghamshire, has a rapidly developing local Ninety-six per cent of lecturers are on new economy with a population of 55,000 which is contracts of employment. expected to grow to 80,000 by the year 2011. 6 The college reviewed its mission in 1997 and New shopping complexes, office blocks and its role concentrates, although not exclusively, on housing have contributed to the continued ‘vocational education and training to meet the expansion of the town. Minority ethnic groups needs of the developing local economy, and to form 8.6 per cent of the population in the town of support the achievement of the national targets for Aylesbury. The largest employers in the town of education and training’. Aylesbury are the health authority, local government and financial services sectors. The 7 The college’s strategic objectives are geared fastest growth in employment between 1986 and towards: 1996 has been in the retail and distribution • meeting the needs of a wide range and sectors. Unemployment was 1.8 per cent during increasing number of students the late autumn of 1997 and there were also a • constantly improving the quality and significant number of vacancies. flexibility