The Greater Brighton Metropolitan College requires improvement, according to inspectors from Ofsted.
Adult learning at the Met is good – as is personal development – but in other key areas, and overall, the official watchdog said that the college requires improvement.
Met chief executive Nick Juba said: “I am very pleased that Ofsted recognised so much that is good at the college and the critical role we provide in preparing young people and adults for work and further study.
“There is much to be proud of and students from the MET continue to secure good outcomes and positive destinations.
“We recognise that there is more to do and everyone at the college is committed to working on those areas for improvement over the coming weeks and months.
“We look forward to Ofsted returning to the college in due course to show them our good practice and progress.”
The Met is one of the first colleges in the country to have been inspected since tougher standards were brought in by Ofsted in August.
Ofsted’s report – the first for the Met since it was created from a merger of City College and Northbrook in March 2017 – also comes against a tough financial backdrop.
The further education sector as a whole is currently the focus of a campaign – Love Our Colleges – aimed at improving the situation.
The Association of Colleges, which is running the campaign, said that teachers in further education were paid 20 per cent less than those in schools.
And many support staff, it said, had seen little or no pay increase for several years as a result of the government’s policy of austerity.
Ofsted said: “Most adult students experience well-taught courses. This helps them to develop a wide range of new skills that improve their everyday lives and help them to get jobs or move on to higher levels of learning.
“Apprentices do not experience consistently high-quality teaching and training. On too many apprenticeships, staff do not recognise properly what skills and knowledge apprentices already have. Their assessors do not make sure they complete their training on time.
“Students with high needs get very good support that develops the personal and social skills they need to become more independent.
“Those on courses at levels 2 and 3 do not get as much help as they need with their academic work.
“Most students aged 16 to 18 on courses at level 3 do very well at the college. Their teachers use their industry and teaching skills effectively.
“Students develop the skills they need to get jobs or go to university. Not enough students at levels 1 and 2 get the same good opportunities.”
Ofsted also said: “Teachers have high expectations of their students, especially in the quality and standard of the work they produce.
“Teachers use their industry expertise well to demonstrate and reinforce high professional standards. As a result, students produce good-quality written and practical work.
“They use technical language accurately and frequently and they develop pride in their work.
“Too many students’ attendance is irregular and consequently not all achieve the standards their teachers expect.
“Too few students get the opportunity to develop their practical skills and skills for work by participating in high-quality, external work-experience placements.”
Even yesterday (Tuesday 27 November) college staff attended the latest meeting of the Tourism Alliance in Brighton where employers were urged to offer work experience.
Ofsted added: “Leaders and managers have designed a curriculum that meets the needs of local people and businesses.
“In several subjects, such as visual arts and motor vehicle engineering, staff involve employers in the courses.
“For example, motor vehicle employers give mock interviews to students to help them prepare for job interviews when they finish their courses.
“Students receive good-quality careers guidance. This results in a high proportion of students getting jobs in the industries for which they have trained.
“Adult learners benefit from a broad range of courses that managers have devised in conjunction with local employers and community groups.
“These are in subjects where demand is high locally, such as construction, health and social care, and bookkeeping.
“Managers have added new courses to existing subjects in response to employer demand and consumer trends.
“For example, in hairdressing and beauty therapy, managers have organised new courses in micro-blading, intimate waxing and barbering.”
Ofsted said that to improve, the Met needed to
- Make sure that teachers who are identified as needing further training participate in this and implement what they have learned in their teaching, especially those teaching level 1 and 2 students. Use the good practice that already exists in the college, such as in visual arts, to help all teachers improve.
- Train teachers, especially those who teach students at levels 2 and 3, to develop the skills necessary to support students with high needs on their courses.
- Increase the attendance rates of 16- to 18-year-old students by investigating why they do not attend their lessons frequently. Use individual strategies to help students who face barriers to attending frequently to overcome these.
- Increase the numbers of 16 to 18-year-old students who take part in meaningful, external work experience placements.
- Improve the proportion of apprentices who achieve their qualifications by making sure that assessors work more closely with employers and make sure all apprentices complete their learning in the planned timescale.
- Make sure that governors understand fully the performance of the different areas in the college, so they can better support leaders to make improvements more rapidly.
A team of eight inspectors went into the college, which has five campuses in Brighton, Shoreham and Worthing, last month.
In Brighton, work is under way to modernise the Pelham Street site. In Wilson Avenue, the campus has been revamped in recent years with modern facilities for those going into the building and motor vehicle trades.
The college teaches about 3,500 16 to 18-year-olds, 7,500 adult learners, 1,000 undergraduates and 800 apprentices.
To read the report, click here.
