East Durham College Self-Assessment Report 2021/22

Introduction

We are a medium-sized general further education college with three campus sites in County Durham. The catchment area includes the whole of County Durham and significant areas into Teesside, North Yorkshire and Tyne & Wear.  The Peterlee Campus on Willerby Grove in Peterlee offers a range of vocational study programmes, A-levels, higher education programmes and provision for directly recruited 14-16 year olds.  The Technical Academy, based on Peterlee’s South West Industrial estate, offers a range of engineering and construction-related vocational pathways and a HE offer in engineering.  The Houghall Campus, in Durham, offers a range of land-based study programmes, in eight different career pathways, a higher education offer and a number of industry-related short and full cost courses.

Our self-assessment report gives us the opportunity to reflect on East Durham College and how effective we have been at achieving our mission, and working within our vision and values, to meet the needs of the community we serve.

For the 2021/22 academic year we have achieved the following:

Overall Effectiveness - Good
Leadership and Management – Good             
Quality of Education - Good
Personal Development - Good                
Behaviour and Attitudes - Outstanding
Education Programmes for Young People - Good        
Provision for Students with High Needs – Good
Apprenticeships - Good                    
Adult Learning Programmes - Good

The college is situated within County Durham in the North East of England which is a largely rural county.  Within the county there are pockets of severe, sustained deprivation; 69.2% of the County Durham population live in the 30% most deprived areas with significant volumes in the 0.2-10% most deprived areas in England.  Employment rates are lower than national average and benefit claimant rates are running at 159% of the 2020 rates.  Qualification attainment lags national attainment rates which widens through the levels from level two to level four, with an 8.6% lag at level four.   The average salary at £30,800 is £8,000 lower than the national average and below the region.  

The impact of COVID-19 is still being felt in the North East, with it increasing socioeconomic and health disparities further from the rest of the country.  Locally this has had an impact on employment, health both physical and mental, and participation generally with NEET figures increasing locally and regionally.  Participation of 16- and 17-year-olds in education has dropped slightly, being 90% in March 2021 from 91% at the same point in 2020; this is below the North East performance (92.2%) and England (93.2%).

College entry data for 2021/22 showed that the number of students entering the college without maths and English had decreased but is still high due to CAGs and TAGs.  31% of students entered without and A* to C in maths, (46% previous year), 31.28% without English (46% previously) and 23%

had neither (36%).  73.1% of students come from the three lowest social deprivation bands (76.5% previous year); with 22.9% coming from the most deprived areas. The chart below shows that the college is more likely to attract students from the most, rather than the least, deprived areas.  34% of students were eligible for free school meals, a large increase on the previous year (23.5%); the England average being 20.8%.

The college mission is to Connect People to Opportunities, and this is underpinned by our values of always having students at the heart of our decision making; providing inclusive provision of the highest quality, promoting a respectful and diverse working environment and ensuring both economic and environmentally sustainable provision. 

In 2021/22 the college has met its intent of connecting people to opportunities with 96% of students progressing to a positive destination due to the high expectations of Governors and strong leadership by leaders and managers across college provision.  The curriculum is informed by many external stakeholders, their feedback informing the skills and behaviours required by students to be day one work ready.  We achieved this through highly effective teaching of a strong curriculum that is enriched through a bespoke tutorial scheme of work and widespread competition work which prepares students for progression and wider aspects of life.

How we earned our Good

Governance is strong and purposeful with knowledgeable governors who know the college well and provide both challenge and support for leaders which improves provision and enables the college to meets local needs through its broad and informed curriculum offer.  Leaders and managers, with appropriate support and challenge from governors, take strategic decisions that are well informed by labour market information and local and regional employer needs which means that most students to progress to a meaningful and positive destination.   They have high expectations of what students can achieve with 96% of students going on to a positive destination (includes 7% not known, 138 of all enrolments).  Through challenging financial times leaders have kept a broad offer to meet the needs of the whole community.  This includes opportunities for those aged 14-16 to engage in education which has a positive reputation with local education and civic stakeholders; A level provision which has grown significantly in reputation and numbers, and a specialist land-based provision whose reach has widened as its reputation has strengthened across the wider region.

Governors appreciate the detailed and honest reports provided by senior managers and further corroborate this information through direct contact with students as part of Student / Governor Conference which take place twice per year.  This gives Governors direct access to students without manager representation to test the quality of the student experience and assess the college ability to rapidly make changes because of student feedback.  Examples of changes that have been made include an overhaul of the catering services across the two main sites to provide an offer that is more in line with student tastes, permanently adding the safeguarding lead pictures and contacts to computer desktops and a new curriculum offer for Foundation Students from September 2022 directly as a result of students saying they did not feel challenged.

The college makes a strong contribution to meeting skills needs across the local and wider region through highly effective partnerships with key stakeholders such as employers, civic bodies, community groups, students and parents.  Leaders and managers value collaboration and recognise that partnership working can increase impact in the community and improve social mobility for students.  They take strategic decisions and effectively target resource and capacity in a fast moving and difficult environment.  We have been successful in securing funding to develop projects which are identified by the LEP and the LSIP as key priorities such as the Regional Health Skills Hub which works collaboratively with employers such as Health Education England and Primary Care Trusts, bringing them closer to providers to help fill identified NHS skills gaps such as Healthcare Science; work with the University of Sunderland and others to develop higher level technical programmes such as HTQs, partnerships with employers to develop new apprenticeship routes such as the anatomical pathology apprenticeship with North Tees Hospital; and the development of knowledge and training around renewable technologies like the testing of blue and green hydrogen with Baxi. 

Individual areas such as arboriculture embed additional tickets and qualifications in the curriculum such as chainsaws and pesticides to ensure students are day one work ready; this gives employers trust in the ability of our students and students the confidence to progress. Other examples include BHS certificates in equine, CSCS cards in construction, abrasive wheels in engineering and first aid and food hygiene certificates in care and education. 

Parents are actively involved in the life of the college; in foundation parents are contacted daily to discuss the progress of students, in Derwent there was a parent support group where they could share experiences of caring for children with SEN, in creative some parents are actively involved in running a youth theatre session and attending performances in addition to bespoke parents evening across college and parent friendly HE talks and presentations.  Student voice is captured throughout the year through a range of formal and informal temperature check type surveys to ensure that areas of concern can be acted upon in year, examples include changes in how financial support is advertised to adult students and having the safeguarding message permanently on all desktops at the request of younger students.

A high profile is given to personal and professional development with the college investing heavily in CPD for existing and aspiring managers to provide a succession of people with the right skills set ready to move when the opportunity arises.  The college secured funding to develop a bespoke coaching programme for managers and aspiring managers to help them to both identify and develop their own areas for improvement as well as roll out the coaching programme to a wider audience across college.  We utilise external coaching and development such as the Insights programme to give opportunity  for meaningful and purposeful conversations that help to improve team effectiveness.  Staff feel valued and can express how they have developed their knowledge and skills to improve performance in their role.  Several staff who participated in these programmes have been successful in securing progression to promoted senior roles in the organisation.  There has also been investment in a new curriculum management structure which gives significant capacity at all levels to further improve the quality of provision; this was implemented in August 2022 so the impact is yet to be seen.

Staff value and are supported to attend CPD that enhances their subject knowledge and in turn provides a rich and realistic learning experience.  In addition to industrial updating, subject staff are encouraged to attend CPD opportunities such as industry insights which are facilitated by the Education and Training Foundation to give curriculum staff enhanced knowledge and skills to prepare them to teach T-levels.  This is supported by leaders and managers who give staff time from their teaching commitment to attend and leads to staff valuing these opportunities with those in care, early years, science and IT attending numerous sessions. 

Safeguarding is effective and there is a strong culture of safeguarding across the whole college with comprehensive referrals and work with external organisations so that all interventions are both timely and appropriate.  The differentiated approach to safeguarding results in students feeling safe and knowing what to do if they do not.  Sexual harassment is dealt with effectively including instances of peer-on-peer abuse.  The college has taken a proactive approach to sexual harassment, it already having a high priority prior to being a statutory duty.  This was a key part of student safeguarding sessions and a key topic of discussion at safeguarding meetings which led to the few instances being reported being dealt with immediately and effectively.  Leaders have taken decisions to invest in enhanced student support services such as increasing the number of counselling hours available as well as employing a member of staff to work on preventative strategies around mental health and wellbeing.  This has decreased the waiting time for counselling appointments and ensured that there is a substantive and permanent counselling service available at all sites.

How we are aiming for Outstanding

Leaders and managers must know that the curriculum offer is ambitious for all students; that it develops the skills required to be successful, has high expectations for all and has progression pathways that are well trodden.  There is excellent progression in most areas from entry to level three, however there is a need for all areas to have a substantial provision at level three, particularly in Construction, Catering and Hairdressing. 

Adults who participate in substantial part time programmes must receive a wider experience which allows them the skills and knowledge to progress to destinations that are both aspirational and relevant.  This includes robust careers education advice and guidance throughout their programme to refine their destination choice supported by activities such as university visits.  Progress has been made in this area such as adults infilling into full-time programmes receiving one to one sessions throughout their programme to focus on IAG and next steps; bespoke assessments for those on most substantial part-time programmes to identify support needs to facilitate progression and adult friendly visits to HE information sessions around work and family commitments.   

In a minority of areas leaders and managers are aware of performance issues but they have not been addressed in a timely manner which has impacted upon the implementation of an ambitious curriculum for all students.  All managers must have a focus on better outcomes for students through CPD which allows all staff to improve the quality of education to all learners.  Periods of growth over a few years has led to capacity issues at middle manager level which has impacted upon capacity for timely and rapid performance management; however the investment in the curriculum management structure will ensure that this issue is addressed.

The quality of education is good across almost all areas of college with outstanding elements in care and early years, brickwork, business and enterprise, Princes Trust, arboriculture, land and wildlife, public services, equine, A levels and engineering.  Teachers are subject experts with up-to-date knowledge and skills which they use to deliver outstanding teaching combined with relevant involvement from businesses which students develop the skills needed to be successful and progress positively.  Students benefit from a well-rounded programme of study with a highly effective tutorial and support system from which they demonstrate outstanding behaviours and attitudes.

How we earned our Good

Over 70% of students attending college have a lack of aspiration and confidence as they come from areas of high deprivation resulting in wide ranging socio-economic challenges.  The range of programmes within the curriculum are designed so that all students leave college with the knowledge, skills and behaviours that are required to be successful in the local area and wider region.  As stated in the Ofsted report, students retain, achieve and leave the college have outstanding behaviours and attitudes following their time with us.

Our study programmes are designed to, and do, have an impact that is above and beyond the provision of education so that students become active citizens as well as achieving well and progressing positively.  Students set their own targets in lessons and within tutorials they adopt strategies to measure their progress demonstrating independence, confidence and self-assurance.  Wider aspects of study programmes broaden their understanding of their immediate community as well as the wider area.   Students are informed how to reduce risks in their life outside college with sexual harassment being addresses fully in college and students confidently reporting incidents as they know it will be dealt with.   Progression Coaches took part in comprehensive CPD so that they use restorative practice with students to resolve conflict and protect them from harm whilst taking into account mental health and other societal factors.

The college has a USP in land-based provision with a strategic drive to grow the offer to meet the needs of the region.  It has made significant investment in staffing and resources and as a result has seen significant growth in this area in arboriculture, floristry, land and wildlife and agriculture.  This focus has improved the employment prospects of students in the area with a high percentage moving onto employment with positive feedback from employers on how well our students perform in relation to other providers.  We have also become the college of choice for arboriculture employers due to our reputation.  All subject areas have valuable and purposeful links with employers which are used inform the curriculum and identify areas for skills development outside of the course specification.  Examples of this can be seen in Bricklaying where students practice and develop skills in traditional construction techniques which gives them to access a wider range of employment opportunities after college; in fact the majority of students progress into employment in this area.  Plumbing and electrical students use the latest micro renewable technology such as solar, heat pumps and hydrogen boilers, to enhance their programmes.  This is also seen in apprenticeships where those following horticulture programmes study additional PA6 spraying qualification which makes them day one employment ready and those on equine programmes engage in pony clubs and achieve British Horse Society certificates.  Those with special educational needs study a range of topics and activities outside of the course specification such as travel training, making healthy choices and independence skills, all of which helps prepare them for adulthood. 

The quality of careers information, advice and guidance is strong and a differentiated approach is taken with individual groups of students so that they make the right choice which meets their future career aspirations.  Before attending college there is a comprehensive range of high-quality advice and guidance available through open days, year 10 summer schools, keep warm activities and enrolment events to ensure that young people and adults can review all the options available to them prior to enrolling on a programme of study or apprenticeship.  Initial careers advice and guidance is robust, impartial and delivered by a range of staff who are qualified up to level seven.  Advice and guidance takes place throughout a students and apprentices programme to ensure that they know what they need to do to be successful in their future careers.   For those aged 14-16 there is a thorough and rigorous programme of transition events including interviews, visits, meetings with parents and professionals and taster days to ensure that the move to Engage is successful and students achieve well.

The student experience is further enhanced through a wide range of enrichment activities, competitions and live projects that support their personal development.  2000 students aged 16-18 engage in community action projects which develop a wider range of behaviours and attitudes such as teamwork, tolerance and problem solving, as well as impacting positively on the local community.  Examples of projects include Creative Industries students collecting essential supplies to send to Ukraine, Animal Care students learning British Sign Language to improve their own communication skills and communication between student groups, Employability students expanded their ‘Never alone always heard’ project for the second year by sending pictures and postcards to people in care homes whose families were not allowed to visit, Art students putting on an exhibition and art sale to raise money for a children's charity and numerous food bank drives. Young people aged 14-16 have been involved in targeted work on local parks with Peterlee Town Council which led to the council winning two Green Flag awards for them.  This helps these students to feel pride and a part of their community, often mending broken relationships with the areas they live in.  Businesses are engaged in setting project briefs for students and providing real work experience linked to the skills students need to develop for employment.  This includes Wildlife students at Houghall carrying out a wetland management project for Durham Wildlife Trust and an invasive species management plan for Beamish Woods.  Construction students were involved with KeepMoat Homes designing a housing scheme within given parameters, and at the Technical Academy engineering students were involved in several projects designing and manufacturing items such as steel kitchen cabinets and repairing goal posts for Spennymoor Community Football club.  This links to the outstanding behaviours and attitudes that East Durham College students develop as a result of their time with us.

Wider enrichment includes sports academies where students are involved in regular training to help improve mental health and wellbeing as well as taking part in competitive matches.  In 2021/22 the college women's and men's teams won the North East College League, the basketball team won the North East Cup, and numerous students represented their country in cricket, boxing and basketball.  These activities are further enhanced by a wide range of clubs and societies that were instigated by students with support from the Student Union.  Clubs and societies were well attended and available across all college sites and included Dungeons and Dragons, Christianity Club, LGBTQ, science, computer games and a bible study.  Across college a further 210 students took part in some form of wider enhanced enrichment over and above those activities included in study programmes such as social action projects and visits. 

Competitions are a key part of the college teaching and learning strategy and are embedded across most areas.  The college is a WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence with five staff trained as Educators who disseminate best practice in embedding competitions into curriculum through CPD days and team presentations.  We take part in internal, inter college, regional and national competitions which build student resilience and help hone specialist skills.  We have achieved success in competitions across all areas including students from the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy winning Student of the Year and the Tycoon Prize, Peter Jones staff member winning Teacher of the Year for two years running, a Houghall student winning Agriculture Student of the Year at the Yorkshire Show, two maths and English students winning the MEI regional college competition at Beamish, an arboriculture student winning the Royal Highland Show Pole Climbing competition and floristry staff winning Interflora Florist of the Year and floristry students winning gold at Harrogate. 

Students and apprentices are taught by highly skilled staff who have up to date and expert subject knowledge.  Staff in areas such as Media and Creative Industries, Hairdressing, Vet Nursing, Floristry, Construction and Equine still work within their industries and use their skills and expertise to contextualise and update students on current practice.   Those who do not teach in industry still have strong links to industry to ensure that the curriculum reflects current workplace practices and standards.  This expertise is echoed in student feedback across all vocational areas with students saying that they appreciate teachers’ knowledge and skills and benefit from it. 

The college operates a risk based approach to quality assurance through curriculum health checks (CHCs) to test the impact of our actions, and we quickly turn around support for staff as a result of TLA drop-ins and CHCs.  This approach directly impacts on the outcomes for the most disadvantaged of students, which makes up the majority of our cohort, with 92% progressing positively.  Outside of developing their subject knowledge, staff are also well supported to develop their teaching skills with all teaching staff new to the college, regardless of experience, allocated a Professional Development Coach (PDC) who mentors them for the first year of their employment. They also engage with the mandatory Bronze CPD programme which focuses on areas such as planning, exam strategies, using technology effectively and behaviour management to ensure that there is a consistent approach to teaching, learning and assessment across college.  This is supported by the Silver programme, which takes a deeper look into teaching strategies.  All mandatory units are available via a blended approach which staff can access at any time.  For those who accessed these CPD programmes 100% rated them good or better (21% Good, 79% Great).  The Taking Teacher Further initiative has been effectively utilised to provide industry specialists the opportunity to learn how to teach and pass on their knowledge through a fully funded teacher training programme which has reduced teaching time to develop their skills.  Those who support teachers are also very well qualified with two PDCs achieving Advanced Teacher Status this year and others completing a workplace coaching qualification. A Coaching and Mentoring programme offered via ETF was also utilised to enhance skills and be further prepared to support other teaching staff. 

Highly effective and embedded links to organisations such as Lee Stafford Education and WorldSkills UK, are real motivators for staff with students benefitting from teachers with enhanced skills and professional training.   Five hairdressing teachers have gained or working towards the Master Trainer Status by mastering 22 hair recipes.  This means that students who leave college have a consistent set of skills and knowledge that the industry can rely on.  Teachers from Sport, Media, Hairdressing and Floristry received substantial training from world class coaches on how to turn competence to excellence using WorldSkills strategies; this has led to substantial competition success in these areas for staff and students.  This has been initially shared within these teams and will be further disseminated at CPD next year.

Teachers and trainer coaches develop well sequenced learning programmes which are taught in a logical way so that content is scaffolded and built on appropriately so students strengthen and broaden knowledge over time.  In the majority of programmes teachers and trainer coaches assess student starting points accurately and then regularly assess knowledge and skills using a variety of assessment strategies throughout the year to identify progress and address any gaps.   TLA drop-ins have identified many strengths in teaching and learning across college including effective lesson starts which were linked to previous or current topic, engaged students and readied them for learning; thorough planning of content over a period of time to scaffold learning which included effective chunking of learning, behaviour for learning and industry links which were consistent and used well.  These points were collaborated by students in these areas during Student Consultation Sampling (LCS) where they were able to articulate the lesson content was planned appropriately to build on prior learning.  This strength in teaching and learning results in most students and apprentices achieving their learning goals.   Further work was identified in a small number of staff around target setting, the setting of expectations (Ready, Respectful, Safe) as well as the level of challenge in some foundation lessons. 

College facilities are modern and enhance teaching and learning with leaders and course managers accessing multiple funding streams to provide state of the art facilities, kit and equipment.  Examples of significant investment in the college estate include two new science labs, a high specification hospital ward and enhanced engineering facilities.  These are utilised well by students to further develop their knowledge, skills and behaviours in an environment that reflects the best of the industry.

The standard of students’ work is very good.  External agencies such as awarding bodies tell us that students work is some of the best they have seen, this is the case particularly in construction, care, engineering, animal, creative industries, hairdressing and business.  Employers, managers and lecturers sensitively plan programmes that develop employability skills and underpin progression by developing skills, knowledge and behaviours that businesses require. Employers are involved in the assessment of technical certificates, diplomas and apprenticeships.  For example, within Brickwork all students are taught according to the specifications within their qualification and in addition, following consultations with regional employers, additional training and skills development to meet the skills needs outlined by these employers is also covered. This has resulted in particularly positive destination data for Brickwork students. In land based, students are given additional qualifications so that they are day one work ready and businesses tell us that students are well equipped and can add value to their business from the start.  “Leaders’ strategic decisions about the range of subjects and types of provision that the college provides are informed well by the needs of employers and key regional partners. As a result, students and apprentices of all ages study on programmes appropriate to their starting points that provide the opportunity for them to progress to higher levels of study, gain employment or move into alternative jobs.” (Ofsted report September 2021)

How we are aiming for outstanding

The college has made progress against all of its areas for improvement and development but we have highly aspirational and want an outstanding quality of education for all students regardless of age, mode of study or starting point.  Most students achieve their learning goals, but leaders and managers must ensure that the teaching and wider support students receive in all subjects, including maths and English, is of a sufficient quality to allow more students to achieve their wider learning goals.  This is predominately students on basic skills maths and English at level one who either did not achieve or partially achieved their qualification, however all students did make progress on functional skills and in maths and English.  There are also issues within agriculture, AAT, motor vehicle and level three animal management (husbandry).  Achievement rates at level one increase by over 18% points when functional skills are removed.  The impact of COVID-19 on progress is still evident in the majority of areas and has impacted upon learning in terms of gaps in knowledge and the increasing severity of mental health issues.  Although intervention coaches were used, they were focussed upon targeted students so more needs to be done within the teaching of the main aim to ensure all students can achieve.

Progress has been made since the last Ofsted inspection in 2021, however those teachers of vocational provision who have high needs students as part of their group, must ensure that they use the information held in EHCPs to adapt their approaches to teaching and learning to allow these students to make the best possible progress.  There are now sound processes in place which identifies clearly those students who have EHCPs who infill into vocational and academic programmes.  This information is pulled into a system generated profile with more detailed information available elsewhere due to the sensitive nature of it.  The mandatory Bronze CPD programme for all new teaching staff was introduced and managers from the ALS team have met with the majority of curriculum teams to talk through the process and answer their questions.  More bespoke and detailed CPD is now required on how teachers can effectively use information from EHCPs to adapt teaching strategies across a range of programme and scenarios.

The quality of apprenticeships is good with most Trainer Coaches assessing starting points thoroughly and using this information to inform frequent and comprehensive reviews throughout the apprenticeship programme.  To further improve; all apprenticeship course managers must ensure the consistency of reviews to ensure that they are improvement focussed, impactful and have meaningful targets which allow apprentices to progress rapidly towards their learning goals.  Leaders must also ensure that all apprentices are allowed to develop skills above and beyond the content of standards to allow them to be successful.  This includes additional qualifications and skills development as required by local and regional employers as well as opportunities to cover areas of personal development more extensively.

How we earned our Outstanding:

Behaviour is outstanding across college.  Leaders, managers and staff have high expectations of students and staff have a relentless commitment to modelling the required behaviour and standards at all times, and managers provide high profile support at key times throughout the day.  Staff are confident to challenge students who do not meet these expectations and across college, social standards are promoted by following classroom rules with a ‘Ready, Respectful, Safe’ standardised approach to behaviour management within lessons.  Any variation from these expectations is challenged rapidly with a consistent approach across all sites.   In vocational sessions behaviour is managed within the context of the industry with staff explaining the consequences of the behaviour in employment.

Students are motivated with positive attitudes to learning.  The majority try their best at their studies and have the courage to keep trying even if learning is difficult.  During the 2021/22 Health & Wellbeing survey, students were asked if they ‘try to do their best in college’. 94% said they either always or usually do this. When asked ‘When I find learning difficult, I have the courage to keep trying’ 63% of students said they always or usually do this with only 1% saying they never do.

A strong focus is given to attendance and punctuality, including clear and effective attendance policies that staff apply consistently and fairly. Despite the impact of COVID, all college attendance only saw a slight decline to 88.3% in 2021/22 with 16-18 attendance at 88.6% which is above the national average.  In 2020/21 whole college attendance was 90% whilst 16-18 attendance was 89.7%.  

Teachers are confident and encourage inclusive and democratic learning environments by skilfully managing discussions and debates with everyone having the opportunity to contribute.  The delivery of bespoke internal de-escalation training to 112 staff within the college, including additional learning support staff and lecturers, has had an impact on behaviour management through the use of de-escalation techniques to prevent high risk situations occurring.  This approach can also been seen in the strong and positive attitudes and behaviour for learning students aged 14-16 display across college, with restorative justice used within the group so that students reflect on the impact of their behaviour on others and the potential impact on their future. 

During the Ofsted inspection of September 2021, inspectors concluded that student behaviours and attitudes were outstanding. “Students’ behaviour and attitudes to learning are exceptional. Leaders, managers and staff set high expectations about how they expect students to behave. They model positive behaviours in the different campuses, ensuring that students and apprentices are respectful, courteous and very well-behaved in lessons, social spaces and, when relevant, in their workplaces. This creates a safe and nurturing environment which is conducive to learning.”

Teachers strongly support positive behaviour.  They actively challenge stereotypes and any provocative language or remarks that may be made and underpin this with a range of examples.  The college tutorial programme has a number of sessions which cover stereotyping, respect for others and Equality & Diversity (both in the workplace and within communities).   This reinforces the behaviours and attitudes required in the workplace and to be successful.

The college environment is one in which students feel safe where there is a zero tolerance for bullying, child-on-child abuse and discrimination.  There is a highly effective safeguarding team led by the Designated Safeguarding Lead, which has representatives from across the college including 14-16, high needs, Foundation, Progression Coaches, and at least one member of the college leadership group.  This group meets weekly to review cases, but also to consider patterns across college where preventative work may be required.  The positive work of the Safeguarding team and the culture of safeguarding throughout the college was highlighted during the Ofsted inspection. Inspectors noted that: “The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders and governors give safeguarding a high priority. This results in a strong culture of safeguarding, which permeates the college. Any concerns raised about the safety and well-being of students are dealt with swiftly. Where necessary, leaders involve external agencies. Leaders ensure that policies to underpin effective safeguarding, including for the ‘Prevent’ duty, are in place. The designated lead for safeguarding and the team he leads have a good understanding of the kind of safeguarding issues that students can experience, including sexual harassment and abuse. They use this knowledge to inform the curriculum content for tutorials and apprentices’ reviews, and to deliver staff training and briefings.”  Safeguarding within college has been further strengthened since the Ofsted visit by a full-time member of staff dedicated to safeguarding to both add capacity and maintain this consistency across all sites as numbers grow and as a result of COVID impact.

The College Management Group has a high profile in student social areas with a presence at key times throughout the day to ensure student safety, address behaviour and ensure adherence to college policies such as the wearing of badges.  The impact of COVID is still being felt with the 2021/22 intake seeing numerous students who had not consistently attended education for some time, however staff have retained their relentless approach to maintaining the behaviour and attitudes of all students which has resulted in high retention, minimal reports of bullying and increased confidence in students.

Harmful attitudes, particularly those around sexual harassment, have been challenged and a broad range of initiatives around this area took place during the academic year. These included adding sexual harassment as a standard item agenda at the weekly safeguarding meeting, conducting consultations with students on their experiences of sexual harassment, sourcing external training for key staff including Progression Coaches and Engage 14-16 staff, and adding additional lessons covering sexual harassment, consent and healthy relationships to the tutorial scheme of work. “Leaders and managers have taken swift and appropriate action in response to national concerns about sexual harassment and abuse. They have added capacity to the college’s pastoral team to deal promptly with any reported concerns and have provided staff with additional training to raise their awareness of the issues. Students recognise the college’s campuses as safe and calm environments.” (Ofsted report September 2021)

One to one support from Progression Coaches is highly effective.  Individual reviews with students focus on academic performance, behaviour management, attendance and punctuality.  Strong and regular communication between lecturers and learning support staff ensures that students are kept safe and referrals are swift using the college’s electronic reporting system.  Interventions are timely including those from external agencies to complement the support provided at college.  The Progression Coach team work closely with an array of external services to support students with issues around finances, mental health and housing. The Engage 14-16 provision also work extremely closely with families and external services to offer preventative action to those students at risk. The result of these interventions in Engage is significant improvements in attendance from their previous school.

Students have identified that they feel supported by the Progression Coach (PC) team. Positive feedback was gained via student consultations in 2021/22 including one student talked through support he received from Coach during an absence which helped him return. Others said PCs are always available for support and approachable by students and they are good at supporting students.

Many said that if they were struggling with work or personal issues, they speak to Progression Coaches and the support is good.  “Progression Coaches are brilliant, I feel I am treated like a human being and an individual.  Students know who Progression Coaches are and can approach them about Bullying”.

Students are motivated with positive attitudes to learning and show pride in their work. For example, in Creative Industries, students collaborate and participate in an array of external events showcasing the skills they have learned/improved including performing to members of the public on a P&O Ferry, performing at a rock festival in the Netherlands as well as various public performances within the Lubetkin Theatre.   

How Behaviour and Attitudes can be further improved:

Further improving attendance in maths and English lessons by adopting a cross college approach to this area that has more contextualisation in all vocational areas.  Staff in maths and English have worked closely with cross college curriculum staff regarding timetabling and student attendance and Progression Coaches have been set specific targets in relation to English and maths attendance. Furthermore, curriculum staff have been utilised to demonstrate to their students the importance of English and maths within their vocational/academic area. This has included the creation of promotional videos in which subject lecturers specifically address this, showcasing the importance of this area for future employment.   These videos are to be shown to students within 2022/23 and to be used within curriculum to further stimulate debate around the importance of maths and English within each industry. 

Work is also required on ensuring that resilience is further developed in all students, although behaviour is excellent, COVID has impacted and many students struggle in the face of adversity with anxiety and mental health issues impacting more than in previous years.  This will be tackled through sense of belonging activities which staff will be trained on throughout the year.

How we earned our Good:

Young people develop outstanding personal, social and employability skills. These are enhanced with set curriculum opportunities and community initiatives within Engage 14-16 and via the tutorial programme for 16-18 year olds.   The tutorial programme is sequenced to enable the first term to focus on personal development, behaviour and welfare topics including British Values, Equality and Diversity, Safeguarding and Prevent, Mental Health and Wellbeing. This supports the students with their transition from school to college or progression to higher levels of study, supporting the high levels of retention for our students. Students are aware of sequencing by revisiting content from previous sessions and seeing how they link with future topics. The rest of the programme focuses on employability and community-based volunteering projects which develop the skills they need to be active citizens. The tutorial programme helps prepare students for future learning, assessment and employment and industry deadlines. More work is needed to develop an approach to provide adult students and apprentices with relative levels of pastoral and personal development support. “Younger students learn about British values and the importance of respecting other people. Staff provide guidance for younger students to help them stay physically and mentally well. Although the curriculum for apprentices and adult students also includes these topics, they are not covered as extensively as they are for students on programmes for young people.” (Ofsted report, September 2021)

The strong focus on personal development embedded within curriculum and via Tutorial has helped support positive progression for the majority of students. Students aged 16-18 saw an increase in positive progression of 10% points from 2019/20 to 2021/22.

All students benefit from purposeful work-related learning, including external work experience where appropriate to their learning programmes and future career plans.  Examples of especially strong external work experience are evident in Hair and Beauty, Animal Care, Equine, Veterinary Nursing, Care, Child Care, Sport, Business and Creative Industries. Reflection and evaluation activities completed following work experience ensures students understand how well they contribute to their workplace, identifies areas for further development and areas of strength.

Industry placement opportunities are strong and effective in most areas especially where they are part of a technical programme or with a department such as land based where there are effective relationships with businesses. These placements gave students the opportunity to develop their employability, practical and technical skills in a role directly relevant to their vocational course.  The placement also gave employers the chance to invest time and training into students, developing the skills and experience that industry needs. There have been numerous positive outcomes following placements, including a level three Engineering student who so impressed at Engineering firm D&S Services during their Industrial Placement, the organisation has since hired them on a full-time contract.  Many other students gained part-time employment with their placement provider which has allowed them to complete their education whilst earning.

There are very strong links with employers who regularly attend college to showcase their industry through demonstrations and seminars. For example, partnerships with companies such as Tolent, Bosch, Baxi and Keepmoat allow construction and technical trade students the opportunity to develop the key attitudes and attributes required to gain and sustain employment. Involvement in these employer led projects/initiatives builds confidence but also develops work ready skills and attitudes that students can use at interview or on their CV.  Involvement in competitions is high and although many students win or take a top place, staff work hard with all students to focus on the learning opportunities that can come from not winning to further develop resilience.

The college careers service has continued its work to raise aspirations, widen participation and increase progression to higher education via the NEUCP programme which has lead to 22.6% of students progressing the university. The project is a consortium of all of the universities and colleges in the North East region, working together to increase awareness of higher education opportunities and progression pathways for young people from certain geographical areas with low take up of University applications.  The college has provided many activities and workshops all dedicated to the promotion of HE despite restrictions still in place in some areas due to COVID.  Students were offered opportunities to meet and engage with representatives from Higher Education; staff organised over 400 leaners to attend the UK Universities Fayre and Presentations hosted at St James Park in Newcastle. In addition to this, the Careers team organised for individual local Universities (Teesside, Sunderland, Northumbria and Durham) to attend college on individual days, setting up stalls and interacting with students.  Careers education information, advice and guidance is strong within the college. During the 2021/22 Health & Wellbeing survey, students were asked if they were aware of the support services offered by the college to help develop my employability. 89% said that they were, an increase from 79% in 2020/21. “Leaders ensure that students of all ages and apprentices receive effective impartial careers advice and guidance throughout their time at the college. As a result, students and apprentices make appropriate plans for their future careers and have a good understanding of the steps that they need to take to be successful.” (Ofsted report September 2021).

All students access high quality extra curricula activities through tutorial and the curriculum with additional enrichment opportunities in sports academies, regular guest speakers, trips and visits which form a key feature of learning programmes.  In ED6 for example, an additional optional student-led club ‘Strive’ was set up for students progressing from year 12 to 13. These sessions were provided to give students opportunities to develop leaderships, communication and teamwork skills, and examples to discuss in their UCAS applications almost half of the cohort took up this opportunity. These programmes also doubled-up to have a wider impact, such as promoting the college to local schools, addressing the college’s carbon footprint, and raising the achievement of their peers through a tutoring programme. Whilst cross-college clubs including an LGBTQ+ support group and a Dungeons and Dragons club run by students, several of the enrichment activities did not have attendance which represented the cross section of college student body, further development of the enrichment activities is required to make it more diverse and consistent across all sites. 

All curriculum teams take part in a form of competition whether it is internal, external, local, regional or national for staff and students and is utilised well across college in vocational areas and on foundation study programmes by utilising growth mind-set strategies.  In addition to a range of in college and inter college competitions we have had success on a national stage.  Out of more than 100 competitors for the City and Guild's National Student Barber of the Year competition, a level three barbering student won first place whilst another made it through to the finals. In the Association of Hairdressers and Therapists national finals, East Durham College students came first in body painting, fantasy make-up and nails creative mood-board categories. Floristry students won gold at the Harrogate Show with their interpretation of Steve Brown’s painting – Rab & Isla McCoo and a level three Arboriculture student won the novice pole climbing competition at the Royal Highland Show. Students from the Peter Jones Academy continued their success in 2021/22 with two students making it into the final of the National Entrepreneur of the Year one of whom was named national student of the year. “Students enjoy participating in a wide range of additional and extra-curricular activities. These include high-profile and challenging competitions that test and extend students’ knowledge and skills and enable them to achieve expertise.” (Ofsted report September 2021)

Structured activities are available for young people to become more active citizens and engage with the world around them, they were enthused by the activities and had a greater sense of self worth.  All students on full-time study programmes evidenced high levels of participation in community action projects via their tutorial programme which enhanced the curriculum, raised levels of student interest and engagement in their study programme, raised awareness of local issues and benefitted hundreds of people within the local community.  The projects were designed as a way for students to become more aware and connected to their community and realise that by helping others they can make a difference. Some examples of the student-led projects included Level 1 Animal Care who decided to focus on loneliness amongst the elderly. They took pictures of animals from Houghall and printed them out turning them into postcards. On the back of the postcards they wrote positive messages, quotes, and jokes. These were sent to Age UK and local care homes. Childcare students volunteered at the 4Louis charity workshop (families of stillborn babies) and helped assemble memory boxes, for the charity. Engineering students produced metal wind chimes and structures for the sensory garden at Haswell Mencap. ED6 students organised a food bank drive for East Durham Trust, they made and distributed posters, organised a collection point and took over 18 bags of food/hygiene products to the centre.

Safeguarding has a high profile within college with a daily safeguarding officer on duty at each site.  The safeguarding team meet weekly to ensure all concerns are investigated and referred, where appropriate, in a timely manner to internal or external specialist support and referral agencies. This team also has a responsibility for vetting and reviewing student DBS disclosures and EHCP consultations. Safeguarding was deemed effective during the Ofsted inspection of September 2021 and the positive culture of safeguarding throughout the college was specifically mentioned within the final report.

Students are safe and know how to protect themselves, keep safe and form healthy relationships. The Ofsted inspection report of September 2021 noted that “students feel safe and know how to keep themselves and their peers safe. They know that when they experience problems or have concerns about their safety or well-being, staff will take prompt action to help them. Students are confident that any instances of bullying that are reported will be dealt with immediately.” Safeguarding and health and safety is introduced during induction and reinforced throughout the year via targeted and naturally occurring activities in tutorial and vocational sessions. Students who attend study programmes also benefit from a comprehensive tutorial programme that educates them about how to keep safe, physically, mentally and online.  All aspects of safeguarding including Prevent, are embedded into student programmes for the duration of their study.

Students benefit from attending a wide range of high-quality resources to keep themselves fit and healthy and the college promotes national campaigns. For example, ‘You Can, We Can’ is a Sport England initiative to target students who are inactive and would like to improve their fitness.  Activities provided by the college within the ‘You Can, We Can’ programme include football, badminton, rock climbing and ice skating. The college also set up a disability football team who competed in the AoC North East Pan-Disability Football Tournament, competing against other colleges in the region. The team were narrowly beaten on penalties in the final just missing out on qualification to the national tournament.  All students have free gym membership, and this is further supported by a range of sports academies including football, rugby, basketball, boxing and dance which are open to all students and attract students from across multiple curriculum areas.

Students emotional health is supported by a high-quality counselling service with pastoral support via the Progression Coach team.  The college has further established its partnership with Piece of Mind (formally the Trailblazer initiative). Piece of Mind, an NHS/CAMHS initiative, provides early intervention for students identified with mild to moderate anxiety, mood and/or self-esteem issues. The initiative also provides staff training, small group work and experienced mental health practitioners to help shape the colleges mental health and wellbeing approach/policy.  Piece of Mind offers a formal link between the college and CAMHS and we have managed to get more intensive support for students whose issues are more serious without going through the usual CAMHS waiting times.

Due to high numbers of mental health referrals, and some serious examples of young male students from construction/trade backgrounds who were suffering extreme poor mental health but were unable/unwilling to come forward for support, the college made a sustained effort to address this need in 2021/22. Alongside the cross college mental health support, relevant guest speakers, counselling drop-in sessions and stigma busting sessions were provided for students within construction and the Technical Academy (including the construction of a new purpose-built counselling room at the Technical Academy). This proactive intervention saw a rise in self-referrals students from those curriculum areas which was met but the increased capacity in this area.

In 2021/22 the college formed a partnership with Investing Children’s ‘Young Adult Support Café’. Each week the café operates on college premises and is used as an informal emotional wellbeing peer support drop-in session for students. 

The college actively promotes equality, diversity and inclusivity across all provision through a culture of fairness and inclusion, and it is effectively embedded into lessons where staff use naturally occurring examples.  In vocational trades, gender stereotypes are challenged when discussing different career opportunities, and in 2021/22 the college recruited more female students within the Technical Skills Academy than ever before. This highlighted the colleges place in changing outdated narratives for future workforces, especially in traditionally more male dominated vocations. In addition to this, the college EDI working group produced a number of strategies and activities to embed EDI both within curricular and extra-curricular activities including signing up to the Educate and Celebrate Award Programme. This has provided the college with monthly one-to-one coaching and mentoring sessions, data collected from stakeholders throughout to inform interventions, CPD provided for all college staff and support with our EDI action plan and targets in the five core areas of Training, Policy, Curriculum, Environment and Community.

Diversity is a key part of many aspects of college life and one which was strengthened in 2021/22. The tutorial programme was adapted to allow students the safe space to discuss current local, national and global issues around diversity such as the Black Lives Matter movement. Diversity is also covered in detail for Engage 14-16 students via their PHSE curriculum. Responses within the staff/governor conference however showed that many students could not articulate the EDI activities on offer so more work is required so that students understand the link between activities and EDI.

The Students’ Union supports students well by providing access to a range of external specialist agencies including Moving On (homelessness charity), Humankind and Mind.  Numerous agencies attended the Freshers Fayre with others taking part in cross college events and having regular stalls in college.  The Students’ Union also created and arranged the colleges first Student / Governor conference in which large numbers of class representatives were able to interact with governors and offer feedback, allowing students the opportunity to have their voices heard and to become stakeholders in their college.

How we are aiming for Outstanding:

The college has a strong work experience opportunities for students in many areas such as education and childcare, health and social care and all land based subjects where all students access a placement, however more needs to be done to ensure that there are consistently strong work experience opportunities available in area such as A Levels, motor vehicle, catering, travel and alternative provision.

Although the offer for young people, and to a point apprentices, is good, the college needs to further develop the pastoral offer to incorporate more targeted support for adult students including those on substantial part-time programmes and ensure that apprentices can access a wider range of pastoral activities than they do currently.

In 2021/22 the college had 1854 students aged 16-18 following full and part-time study programmes and 179 aged 14-16 who were either directly recruited (63) or following the home education programme.  Included in the number of 16-18s are programmes with the Princes Trust who run three cohorts per year from the Houghall Campus.  Enrolments for young people are less than half of all enrolments in college.

How we earned our Good:

Leaders and Managers have high expectations and continue to drive high standards. During the time spent on their study programmes students make substantial progress. There is a strong focus on developing maths and English skills which results in a higher than average number of students improving their GCSE maths or English grade to a grade 4. For example, 36% of leaners achieved a grade 4 or above at EDC for English, and 29% of students achieve a grade 4 for maths.  All students on functional skills qualifications made progress and those on GCSE with a grade one or two, made better than the expected progress based on the national average.  On land-based technical courses, engineering, care and A level subjects such as sociology, maths, criminology and business, a very high proportion of students go on to achieve high grades.  Those students studying basic skills qualifications who do not achieve, still make enough progress in these qualifications to achieve their vocational or academic aim.

Full time students under 16, benefit from a broad curriculum which includes statutory subjects of maths English and science with a choice of vocational programmes and a supporting PHSE programme. These programmes are destination led and individualised with a strong focus on developing social and employability skills. As a result students, the majority of whom were at risk of exclusion, make significant progress with engagement with learning which increases their post 16 options and ultimately progression; with 86% students positively progressing to a post-16 option who would have been lost to education had they remained in school.

The college supports a growing number of electively home educated young people who benefit from a well considered GCSE and vocational offer from which they achieve well and make informed choices for their post 16 offer.  This cohort of students receive not just from a formal education, but also social interaction with a range of peers and a pastoral and enrichment offer which they would not receive if they continued their full education at home.  This provision is highly successful with 100% pass rate, 85% high grades and 99% positive progression.

Leaders and Managers provide highly effective study programmes based on well considered routes up to level three across college and at higher levels in some areas. Routes are well constructed with clear progression pathways to employment or further study. Curriculum intent is strong and teachers have a firm and common understanding of how it is implemented. As a result, very few students complete their courses without a clear plan for their next steps in employment or education, including those with SEND.

The strong curriculum intent is implemented highly effectively for majority of students, many of whom who leave with high grades and progress to ambitious destinations.  Teachers are enthusiastic and learning is well sequenced for this age group so that content builds on prior learning and enables young people to strengthen their knowledge and skills over time. As a result, students enjoy their lessons and value their learning. However, managers and teachers do not always identify gaps in learning quickly enough for effective intervention. This means that a minority of students who complete their study programmes do not achieve the formal assessments required to achieve their main learning aim for reasons such as the impact of COVID and exam anxiety and leaving college for employment.

For the majority of students, the impact of the curriculum is strong.  Many have developed skills employer’s value enabling them to progress to employment, both with and without further training.  In most cases, at the beginning of the year, students leave to enter employment rather than as a result of a poor quality education; for example several students on land-based programmes left early to take up employment offered by their placement provider on farms or within equine yards or animal services businesses.

Study programmes for each student are planned and managed,  individualised, with vocationally relevant and challenging learning that builds on prior attainment and prepares them for employment. For example, students studying animal management develop a broad knowledge and skills base in year one and select either management and animal husbandry or science routes in year two. This prepares them well for employment in the animal services industry or gives them the scientific knowledge and laboratory skills to progress to BSc degrees in subjects including bio veterinary science, Zoology with Herpetology and Environmental Science. Students on brick laying programmes follow a study programme which develops the additional skills, above and beyond the qualification requirement which result in high levels of progression into jobs where their employers value their additional skills such as the ability to build twisted pillars and work at a pace. Students studying in creative industries work collaboratively across the breadth of specialist pathways to create, promote and perform a number of live performances both in and outside of the college.

The college works well with a wide range of industry specialists and local employers to ensure a very large proportion of students benefit from work placements which are relevant to their career path. For many students, this makes up a significant proportion of their programme allowing them to develop a high degree of occupational competence. For example, students on health and social care and childcare programmes complete two full days of industry placement per week, whilst students studying veterinary nursing complete 1800 hours industry placement and receive coaching in placement from a qualified veterinary nurse (clinical coach) in addition to placement reviews and progress reviews with their teachers.

All students encounter a wide range of industry relevant guest speakers, trips and visits which enhance their curriculum and helps prepare them for employment.  Students on land and wildlife programmes perform conservation projects under the direction of employers at regional nature reserves and other environmentally important locations to improve biodiversity and enhance the natural environment while students on hairdressing programmes benefit from external work placement as well as enhancements for them and their employers with masterclasses delivered by a celebrity hairdresser.

The college offers a good range of extracurricular activities, for example over 200 students across the college take part in a range of sporting academies including football, rugby, dance, boxing and cricket to enhance their curriculum, and take part in trips and activities such as paint-balling, theme parks as well as a Fresher’s Fair which gives them the opportunity to develop their soft skills and widen their experiences.

Students in many curriculum are involved in competition work, both internal and external, which accelerates skills development, building confidence, resilience and raising their aspirations.  For example students in hair and beauty frequently progress into aspirational roles in high end spas and salons with regular progression to the only five star hotel in the county.

All 16-18 study programmes are reinforced by a strong tutorial programme that further individualises study programmes based on intended destinations. This includes a community action project from which they develop an array of skills such as citizenship, planning and organising, teamwork and reflection which all contribute to the development of employability skills, as well as improving community cohesion. Students in ED6 follow an enhanced additional tutorial programme – Strive, to support students applying to highly competitive universities.       

Students at the college benefit from high quality Realistic Working Environments and technical classrooms across all three campuses. These accelerate their development of the practical vocational skills that employers value. For example, in catering, students develop a full range of catering and hospitality skills in the college’s kitchen and restaurant which helps them to be day one employment ready.  At the technical skills academy, investment from the Institute of Technology and the LEP has provided electric and hybrid vehicle rigs to extend learning beyond the qualification and develop the right skills to meet LEP priorities for electrification, future proofing their skills.

Students in animal management work with an extensive range of common and exotic species becoming confident and competent to work in a wide range of hands on roles not just in the companion animal industries. All students take part in weekly unit duties which replicate industry practices to reinforce the importance of industry speed and industry standards when working in customer facing commercial animal related businesses and students in agriculture have worked alongside technical consultants including a specialist large animal vet, technical grazing specialist and agronomists and use live college data to evaluate the impact of new innovations on productivity.

How we aim to be outstanding:

Whilst pass rates on level one programmes continue to be strong with 96% of students achieving their main learning aim; across level 2 and 3 programmes, particularly in agriculture, level three animal management, sport, creative and science, more students need to continue on their programme and pass their course.

Also, although the progress made by students studying basic skills maths and English is good, it is not sufficient for some students, who make progress but do not achieve a qualification.

The college has the largest number of high needs students of any provider in County Durham, in 2021/22 there was 131 commissioned High Needs places and 278 students with an EHCP. Most High Needs students study within discreet groups in Foundation (based at Houghall and Willerby Grove) and within the discreet autism spectrum condition provision Derwent (based at Houghall). During the Ofsted inspection of September 2021, High Needs provision was graded as being ‘Good’.

How we earned our Good:

The college is highly ambitious for students with high needs.  Outcomes for students with high needs are good with above national average achievement with 93.5% achieving their main qualifications. The great majority of students make at least the expected progress from their starting points with 97% being retained on their courses.

Progress to positive destinations is good at 97.2% with almost all students progressing to further education or training.  More students need to progress to employment; this is an area that has been impacted by COVID with vulnerable students having to further develop the necessary skills to move to employment.  This is being addressed and in 2021/22 the decision was made to create a traineeship offer within Foundation (at both Houghall and Willerby Grove) incorporating 70 hours of real life work placements. In addition to this, work has begun in 2022/23 to re-establish the colleges Supported Internship offer, providing an opportunity for High Needs students to study on a structured study programmes based primarily at an employer which are intended to enable young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities to achieve sustainable employment.

Staff in discreet provision use information from EHCPs to utilise funding effectively to ensure effective support arrangements are in place. “Leaders and managers ensure that the funding they receive for students with high needs is used effectively in order to support and meet the needs of individual students. As a result, students who have high needs are provided with the specialist support and assistive technologies that they need to engage in learning and to make progress.” (Ofsted report September, 2021)

RARPA, used for a small number of non-accredited programmes in the autism provision, ensures that students are aware of their targets, both academic and personal, and achievement of these is discussed frequently to show progress daily and over time. Students use self assessment well to score their own progress which is discussed with parents / carers so that they can support them in their progression.

Both discreet SEND and ASC provisions (Foundation Studies and Derwent) have adapted their curriculum to meet the outcomes set out within the Preparing for Adulthood Agenda. This approach allows staff to utilise aspects of both accredited and non-accredited learning to support and improve student employability, independence and support community inclusion and good health.

Staff support students to make healthy choices and improve their money management by encouraging and supporting students to access the gym and canteen. This supports social inclusion and independence skills, which is also part of the PFA agenda. 

High needs students receive good support towards their EHCP outcomes and aspirations. Staff utilise information provided within EHCPs to tailor their teaching practices. For example, within Derwent, students are grouped with compatible peers depending on SEND needs (not necessarily academic ability/level). The scheme of work reflects this and can be adapted to the individual complexities, needs and the EHCP aims of individuals. Carefully sequenced teaching take students on an individualised journey which ends with them not only completing their programme of study, but also making levels of progress within their personal development; ensuring those capable of progression are equipped with the skills, knowledge and confidence needed to progress.

Baseline assessments are used extensively within both Derwent and Foundation Studies. These cover social communication, healthy living, travel training, personal hygiene, money management, work experience, employment skills, reading and writing skills and digital skills. Such baseline assessments are conducted throughout the year in which students’ individual needs and EHCP outcomes can be addressed whilst still completing general qualifications. This re-enforces the individual student-centred aspect of the provisions.

The college liaises with, and utilises support from, several external agencies to best support individual student needs. For example, lecturing staff work closely with members of the Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) team, inviting them into college to observe learning in practice and working in conjunction to develop individual strategies within teaching.

Several high needs students are fully integrated into programmes in mainstream areas and receive good support from staff to remain in this provision. Improvements are still required however to ensure that all lecturers within mainstream programmes can inform teaching strategies from the detailed and complex information within a students EHCP to support teaching and learning.

Students within Derwent and Foundation provisions access supported transitions into vocational programmes to prepare them for next steps. Staff create real work environments within the college to develop vocational and social communication skills. For example, students within Foundation Studies have set up their own enterprise with the ‘Foundation Snack Stop’ setting up a stall, advertising, pricing and direct selling handmade baked goods and crafts.

High needs students within Foundation and Derwent provisions benefit from an accredited qualification reinforced by individualised sessions to develop independent living and employability skills. Examples include students participating in independent living skills sessions to learning how to shop for and cook basic meals and manage money also undertaking travel training to give a greater degree of independence and improve community inclusion.

In addition to the set curriculum, all students within Foundation and Derwent attend activities and initiatives help further develop their independence, resilience and progression. For example, depending on their individual needs, some students may attend Travel Training, Enterprise sessions or health sessions and lecturing staff have been allocated slots on their timetables where students can drop in to discuss any personal matters. These additional sessions help students explore their individuality, friendships and relationships which builds on confidence, independence, resilience and communication skills. 

High needs students receive good information, advice and guidance, through a range of events, when deciding which course best meets their needs and future goals. Students access the Careers Team and there are also dedicated progression coaches in foundation and Derwent, who provide advice which ensure students are able to build upon their prior attainment in an individualised manner. For example, one student from Derwent who was in her final year accessed regular additional one-to-one sessions covering communication skills and job interview techniques. This was in addition to her employability qualification and staff helped her to search, apply and prepare for, appropriate job and apprenticeship interviews. At the end of the academic year, she gained an apprenticeship in customer services with the Passport Office.

How we aim to be Outstanding:

More students need to progress into employment.  We will re-establish the colleges Supported Internship offer to provide a structured and supportive transition into paid employment for High Needs students and students with an EHCP.  More work is needed to develop stronger links with employers to provide opportunities for High Needs students to interact with employers and to assess the skills they need to progress. Work has already started in this area and two high profile employers are in place who is ready to offer work experience and internships.

In 2021/22 the College had 3,217 leavers who classified as adults at the start of their programme which represents over half (53%) of all leavers.  38% of students studied at level one, 51% at level two (of which 690 are Distance Learning) and 9% at level three (of which 25 are Distance Learning). 

How we achieved our Good:

Distance Learning programmes have very high pass rates at 96.8% and retention is much improved at 96.1% which is 3% above national average and an 8% increase from 21/22. 

Teaching, learning and assessment challenges adult students who make substantial progress towards their vocational learning aims.  Student feedback collated from the level two Cutting and Styling course highlighted the incorporation of competitions, “Loved the opportunities for competition, these are great for showing off your skills and potential.” (Feedback from LCS sample 21/22).  In maths and English performance in terms of high grades in GCSE maths and English has an increasing trend across recent years.  GCSE maths rose to 55% from 42.9% and GCSE English increased to 50% from 46.9%. The cohort size for GCSE maths and English amongst adults remains on a downwards trend due to level two Functional Skills being largely accepted by universities and employers. 

Positive progression for those studying Access programmes stands at 95% with students progressing to HE and employment in their respective area of interest.  70% of students progressed to HE of which 86% gained a place at their first-choice university, with 25% of students finding employment.  Students have progressed to universities at both a regional (e.g., Durham, Newcastle, Teesside and Northumbria) and national (e.g., York. St John, Sheffield Hallam and Bradford) level. Whilst many are successful in gaining competitive places to study the different branches of nursing and pharmacy, other students are studying programmes which include Criminal Justice, management and Entrepreneurship, Midwifery, Pharmacy, Paramedic Practice, Dental Nurse Practice, Primary Education, Optometry and Forensic Science.

There are strong relationships with external partners such as Job Centre Plus and local employers to provide tailored programmes which move unemployed adults closer to education or employment or to up skill the current workforce of employers.  An example of this is a tailored programme in Manufacturing that up skills people in preparation for work at ZF Peterlee, this has been very successful with 80% moving into work direct from the course.  This activity is complemented by strong relationships with other stakeholders such as the NHS, Baxi and a wide range of veterinary practices to provide training for those already in employment. 

There are a wide range of programmes designed specifically for adults including part-time vocational provision, employability programmes, distance learning programmes and Access courses that improve a student’s employability, social skills and confidence to progress to employment, higher education or play a more active role in their communities.  A high number of students who are recruited onto programmes are disadvantaged, sometimes those furthest from the jobs market and least likely to get involved in adult education. 

Careers education information, advice and guidance is strong with staff successfully identifying the programmes that students need to follow to ensure they reach their intended destination.  Adult students integrated within study programmes access the same breadth of curriculum as those aged 16-18; there are positive examples of this in hairdressing and care and early years where students wishing to progress to university are actively encouraged to attend tutorial and maths and English to prepare them for their next steps.  For those on other courses, such as Access, there are several CEIAG evenings, along with the initial comprehensive guidance offered.  All of which ensures students can progress positively. However, for those on some part-time programmes the breadth and frequency of CEIAG and the opportunity to access additional activities requires improvement.

There was a significant drive to increase the adult offer and provision in 21/22, to enable adults to upgrade or indeed learn new skill sets, which emerged post pandemic.  This resulted in a range of additional courses in languages, creative crafts and various construction-based courses which acted as a first step back into learning with many of these returning in 2022/23.  This offer needs to be further developed to meet the skills shortage areas in areas such as hospitality, tourism and the creative industries.

How we aim to be Outstanding:

The additional support needs of all adults are not identified early enough.  Those adults who infill into full-time programmes now have an initial one to one session with a Progression Coach to identify support needs and career aspirations.  For those on part-time courses, changes were made to internal college processes to assist curriculum teams in identifying those who had declared a learning difficulty or disability and most staff introduced contextualised initial assessments which would identify support needs for those who had not declared one. These actions have ensured that the support needs of adults on full-time and substantial part-time programmes are captured, however more work is required on capturing this information for all adults.

In 2021/2022 the college had 348 apprentices on roll with 122 leavers in year.  Of those who were leavers in 2021/22, 48% were on level two programmes and 52% on level three.  In terms of age, 58% were 16-18, with 19-23 and 24+ being 42% each.  The vocational areas with the highest numbers of starts were Horticulture, Customer Service, Arboriculture and Golf Greenkeeping. 

How we achieved our Good:

Progression into employment is high with 92% of apprentices being retained by their employer with 16% of those progressing to the next level of course.  Employers value the contribution the apprentice brings to the organisation and the college is active in ensuring that employers have a job in the organisation at the point the apprentice starts to maximise retention.  Almost all apprentices achieve their maths and English as part of their apprenticeship and attendance rates at college are all above 90%.

Apprentices use what they learn at college in work by utilising very well the realistic working environments and technical classrooms to develop skills, as well as gaining additional qualifications such as chainsaw certificates, spraying and pesticides, specialist first aid and food hygiene.

Employers value their relationship with the college and we receive frequent repeat business as a result of this.  The college is rated with five out of five stars on the Find an Apprenticeship Training Provider with 62 reviews.  Learner and employer feedback is good, there were no complaints received in 21/22 and feedback received during learner consultations and external quality assurance visits is largely positive and complimentary.  Out of 28 employer responses 26 said they had found EDC responsive to their training needs and found their BDO to be very knowledgeable and 11 were recommended or repeat customers. Learner feedback in a minority of areas is less consistent with feedback suggesting that some learners are not receiving regular on site visits; this has been an issue in Horticulture, Electrical and Bricklaying.

Managers respond to local and regional skills needs identified by the local enterprise partnership as well as liaising with employers on a local and national level to identify areas of skills gaps.  This has resulted in continuing growth in manufacturing and engineering apprenticeships, an industry which has significant representation in the local area, as well as responding to needs in the land based sector.  Recent developments include the introduction of arboriculture apprenticeships for a national employer, a decision to move into agricultural engineering and we have also seen continued growth in Horticulture and Golf Greenkeeping.

The majority of apprentices achieve their programmes with achievement being 59% which is in line with the current national average.  It is lower than previous years due to the number of apprentices who did not reach end point assessment (EPA) in time for the end of the academic year; these apprentices will achieve but not within given timescales.  Much of this is beyond our control with 44 apprentices ready to undertake an assessment however they have to wait for EPA with an external body resulting in achievement taking place in the following academic year.

A high proportion of apprentices make the progress expected of them and there continues to be improvements in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment of workplace assessment practice through continuous professional development of staff and improved processes to capture this information.  CPD for Trainer Coaches included a bespoke seven session programme which included planning and resources, sequencing, behaviour management, questioning, assessment, command words, differentiation, and EPA revision methods.  This programme ended in June and it is evident that it has been implemented in some areas better than others.  Course leaders and managers will ensure that this is rolled out whilst developing more strategies that meet the ambitious curriculum such as further opportunities for apprentices to take part in enrichment and enhanced pastoral activity.   

Information advice and guidance is strong in this area with a thorough, centralised induction taking place for all apprentices using a variety of sources including local labour market information to ensure apprentices are making an informed choice.   Those apprentices who do leave are not for reasons related to IAG.  All students are initially assessed for skills, knowledge, and behaviours at the beginning of the programme to ensure that their programme of delivery is tailored to their individual needs.  This allows them to develop strong vocational skills relative to their starting point and in some areas develop further skills and qualifications to enhance their employment prospects.  Examples of this include teaching assistant apprentices studying distance learning courses to enhance their job role and apprenticeship.  In hairdressing, apprentices benefit from training through the Lee Stafford Academy, construction apprentices completing health and safety cards and pesticide courses completed by Horticultural apprentices to ensure they are day one job ready.

How we aim to be Outstanding:

Although the quality of Teaching, Learning and Assessment is improved, more work is required to ensure consistently good practice across all areas of the provision.  Managers are aware of the areas that need further improvement and have plans are in place to achieve this, however more rapid progress is required.  Most apprenticeship reviews are good; however, consistency is required across all standards and Trainer Coaches to ensure that they are improvement focused, impactful and have meaningful targets that are understood by apprentices and their employers.   This includes feedback from Trainer Coaches that is clear in what apprentices need to do to achieve higher grades.