TRURO AND PENWITH COLLEGE CORPORATION Curriculum and Standards Committee Minutes of a meeting of the Curriculum and Standards Committee held at Truro College, College Road, Truro on Wednesday 8 October 2014. Present: Dr E Sheridan (Chair), Mr R Crossland, Ms M Johns, Mr S Jose, Mr J Smith and Mrs E Winser. Also Present: Mr M Arnold (Director of Quality), Ms J Cashmore (Director of Operations), Mrs S Dickinson (Head of Finance), Mrs C Mewton (Director of Studies), Mr M Rabey (Richard Lander School), Mr M Tucker (Director of Penwith College), Mr M Wardle (Director of Curriculum), Mr N Wilkinson McKie (Roseland Community College), Mrs A Winter (Clerk to the Corporation) and Mrs J Woodhouse (St Ives School). Apologies: Mr G Brack, Mrs N Edmondson and Mr D Walrond Also, Mrs C Jackman (Hayle Community School), Mr W Marshall (Humphry Davy School) and Mrs J Nash (Cape Cornwall) C14/29 Minutes The Minutes of the meeting held on 18 June 2014 were approved and signed as a correct record. C14/30 Matters Arising 30.01 Substance Misuse Policy (Minute C14/26) The Director of Operations reported that a new Respect Co-ordinator had been appointed and would be starting after half term. C14/31 Student Achievements The Director of Quality presented a summary of the student achievements for full time students for 2014. Members noted that more detail would be provided in the College Self- Assessment Report (SAR) later this term. The Director reported on the results and highlighted, in particular: Value added achievement – the value added ALPs assessment for the College as a whole was outstanding, placing it as the best performing college nationally A2 pass rates – A level performance had been very strong with pass rates well above national benchmarks with 62% of completers achieving high grades (A* - B), up by 3% compared to a decline in national averages ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ AW/LJ/CurrStand141008mins Page 1/6 Approved 28 October 2014 AS pass rates – although pass rates this year were showing a slight fall by 3%, this reflected the removal of the January module entries and was consistent with a decline nationally L3 Extended Diplomas – achievement levels on vocational programmes remained very high with 60% of more than 700 completers gaining at least three Distinction grades (equivalent to 3 grade As at A level) against a national average of 35% and an ALPs score for extended diplomas of 3 (Excellent) Other vocational courses – more than 560 16-18 year olds (up over 200) and around 300 19+ students achieved NVQs, VRQs or professional vocational qualifications IB average points score was 35, (one below last year’s record high) – the IB success rate was well above the national average and resulted in the college being rated the best state provide of the IB and highest non-selective provider in The Sunday Times rankings Level 2 English and maths – there had been a massive increase of 60% in GCSE entries and 400% Functional Skills entries this year in response to national policy changes which presented considerable new challenges and complexities. Although the percentage of high grades in English was high, well above national averages, the percentage of high grades in maths fell slightly (although still above all Edexcel maths entries for tertiary colleges). Apprenticeships - success rates for the growing number of apprentices (an increase of 20% this year) was 74%, 2% above national averages Over 400 HE awards were made on full time courses this year with successes in a wide range of honours degrees (130), foundation degrees (230), higher national diplomas (21), PGCE/Certificate in Education (27) and Plymouth University short course Certificates (67). In response to questions about level 2 English and maths outcomes the Director indicated that performance in English GCSE and Functional Skills had been very good. Performance in maths GCSE and functional skills had been slightly disappointing and action plans were in place to raise performance which included changes to delivery location and to teaching teams. English and maths continued to be an area of provision which was receiving very close attention and there was no complacency about the performance in these subjects. C14/32 Student Enrolments – Autumn 2014 The Committee noted that overall the student enrolment position across the College was looking very positive and a breakdown of the latest enrolment numbers was provided: full time 16-18 FE numbers would be confirmed at the six week census date in mid-October and were expected to show an additional 150 first year students and overall increase of around 200 compared to 2013/14 – the College was extremely busy this year and the main area of growth was occupational courses since the start of term an additional 71 students had joined the College, most had come from school sixth forms where they had been disappointed with provision or the unavailability of subject combinations HE enrolments appeared to be slightly down overall although this was still a changing picture and recruitment to level 6 (honours degree) programmes was looking very positive. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ AW/LJ/CurrStand141008mins Page 2/6 Approved 28 October 2014 During discussion the Committee explored the current pressure on the timetable and facilities at both Truro and Penwith. Members noted that at certain times of the week the campuses were full to capacity. The travel system had been adjusted to accommodate the additional numbers and more than 30 buses were currently providing home to College transport on a daily basis. The scale of the College’s operation enabled it to absorb additional students and recruit beyond its allocation, even though the lagged funding system meant that no additional funding would be received for extra learners until 2015/16. It was hoped that the extension to the Kenwyn refectory (due to be fully completed by mid- December) would help to alleviate pressure on catering facilities. The Committee was very pleased to note that overall it had been a very good year for recruitment and against a falling demographic the growth in FE numbers was remarkable. Members agreed that the impact on space and implications for facilities should be closely monitored in the context of increasing numbers. C14/33 Schools Updates Representatives from the partner schools mentioned: GCSE reforms and revisions to the KS3 curriculum with the removal of national curriculum assessment levels could also have significant implications and were a key focus of attention for schools ongoing changes to the curriculum and implications for the College – in future it was likely that student entry qualifications would be different with more students tending towards EBacc subjects the range of EBacc subjects was being broadened with the inclusion of Computer Science in the list of Science subjects for the first time from 2014 the support provided to partner schools (a specific example involving the elite sports programme at St Ives was cited) was welcomed. The Committee noted that staff training for College staff was being provided in relation to the significant KS3 and KS4 curriculum changes. C14/34 Safeguarding Update The Director of Studies presented the Section 175/157 Declaration of Compliance which had been submitted to the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) by the deadline of 30 June 2014. A letter had been received to acknowledge the return and to confirm that arrangements were in order. The Director of Studies explained that tier one training was provided to all staff at the beginning of term and that tier two training was provided every three years. Members of the designated safeguarding team were currently up to date with training or were about to complete the required training. Members were reminded that the Governor with responsibility for safeguarding was Graham Brack. The Director also reported that the handover of safeguarding files and information from schools had been quite successful this year and that the new Safeguarding Assistant had made a very positive contribution to these arrangements and to other processes. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ AW/LJ/CurrStand141008mins Page 3/6 Approved 28 October 2014 The Director distributed a leaflet summarising the relevant legislation and the key responsibilities of the governing body in relation to safeguarding. In response to questions the Director reported that the safeguarding team included three male staff. She also indicated that the College had not been consulted about proposed cuts to Council services which would be likely to have significant implications for the provision of mental health and other support services in Cornwall. She had made a request to the Local Safeguarding Board to allow the College representative to re-join the Board so that there could be greater involvement in discussions about local services and changes to provision. The Committee noted that this continued to be an increasingly busy area of activity and that current arrangements were working well. C14/35 Student Disciplinary Procedure The Committee received a revised Student Disciplinary Procedure which had been amended and rewritten to more closely reflect current circumstances and practices. Members noted that student conduct was not a significant concern and that the aim