Fircroft College of Adult Education · 2 The college has a long history of enabling adult learners to have a second chance of education. Many students come to the college seeing it

R E P O RT FROM THE INSPECTORATE

1999-00

FircroftCollege of

Adult Education

THEFURTHEREDUCATIONFUNDINGCOUNCIL

THE FURTHER EDUCATION FUNDING COUNCIL

The Further Education Funding Council (FEFC) has a legal duty to makesure further education in England is properly assessed. The FEFC’sinspectorate inspects and reports on each college of further educationaccording to a four-year cycle. It also inspects other further educationprovision funded by the FEFC. In fulfilling its work programme, theinspectorate assesses and reports nationally on the curriculum,disseminates good practice and advises the FEFC’s quality assessmentcommittee.

College inspections are carried out in accordance with the framework andguidelines described in Council Circulars 97/12, 97/13 and 97/22.Inspections seek to validate the data and judgements provided by collegesin self-assessment reports. They involve full-time inspectors and registeredpart-time inspectors who have knowledge of, and experience in, the workthey inspect. A member of the Council’s audit service works withinspectors in assessing aspects of governance and management. Allcolleges are invited to nominate a senior member of their staff toparticipate in the inspection as a team member.

Cheylesmore HouseQuinton RoadCoventry CV1 2WTTelephone 024 7686 3000Fax 024 7686 3100Website www.fefc.ac.uk

© FEFC 2000 You may photocopy this report and use extracts inpromotional or other material provided quotes ar eaccurate, and the findings are not misrepresented.

Fircroft College of Adult Education

Contents

Paragraph

Summary

Context

The college and its mission 1

The inspection 7

Curriculum areas

Mathematics, science and information technology 11

Humanities, including social studies 18

Cross-college provision

Support for students 25

General resources 34

Quality assurance 39

Governance 46

Management 53

Conclusions 60

College statistics

Grade DescriptorsInspectors assess the strengths and weaknessesof each aspect of provision they inspect. Theirassessments are set out in the report. They usea five-point scale to summarise the balancebetween strengths and weaknesses.

The descriptors for the grades are:

• grade 1 – outstanding provision which hasmany strengths and few weaknesses

• grade 2 – good provision in which thestrengths clearly outweigh the weaknesses

• grade 3 – satisfactory provision withstrengths but also some weaknesses

• grade 4 – less than satisfactory provisionin which the weaknesses clearly outweighthe strengths

• grade 5 – poor provision which has fewstrengths and many weaknesses.

Audit conclusions are expressed as good,adequate or weak.

Aggregated grades for aspects of cross-collegeprovision and curriculum areas, for collegesinspected during 1998-99, are shown in thefollowing table.

Grade

1 2 3 4 5% % % % %

Curriculumareas 10 53 30 7 –

Cross-college provision 14 54 23 7 2

Source: Quality and Standards in Further Educationin England 1998-99: Chief inspector’s annual repor tSample size: 104 college inspections

Student AchievementsWhere data on student achievements appear intables, levels of achievement are shown in threeways:

• as number of starters, which is the numberof enrolments on qualifications where thestudent was expecting to complete thequalification that college year. Forexample, a student on a two-yearprogramme who began their programme in October 1995, would appear in theresults for 1996-97 because this is theyear in which they expected to completetheir qualification

• as a retention rate, which is thepercentage of qualifications which studentshave completed as expected or where theyare continuing their studies beyond theexpected end date of the qualification. Forprogrammes of study of two years or more,retention is calculated across the wholeprogramme, that is, from the start to theend of the qualification

• as an achievement rate, which is thenumber of qualifications students havefully achieved as a percentage ofcompleted qualifications with a knownoutcome. Partial achievements are notincluded.


1

Summary


West Midlands Region

Inspected February 2000

Fircroft College of Adult Education is one of thesix long-term residential colleges in Englanddesignated, under section 28 of the Further andHigher Education Act 1992 , as eligible to receivefinancial support from the FEFC. It providesresidential and non-residential learning facilitiesand is situated in an attractive setting in south-west Birmingham. The college provides adultlearners, most of whom lack formalqualifications, with an opportunity to return tolearning. It has anticipated the need to developand diversify its curriculum and respond to theinner city and region, through a number ofinnovative collaborative projects. Collegedevelopment reflects a strong commitment toinclusive learning and significantly contributesto widening participation.

The college carried out its first self-assessmentin preparation for the inspection. The reportwas comprehensive and self-critical. Inspectorsagreed with many of the judgements in thereport and by the time of the inspection,progress was being made to address someweaknesses. Teaching is imaginative and of ahigh quality. Students’ achievements are highand progression rates are good. Mathematicsteaching for students with few skills andconfidence is particularly effective. Thecurriculum is well managed and the college hassuccessfully developed a comprehensive range ofexternal accreditation. A key feature of thecollege is the high-quality residential learningenvironment. Good working relationshipsbetween staff and students and a sharedenthusiasm for learning are a strong feature ofthe college. There is a productive workingrelationship between governors and senior staff.The college is managed in an open, accessible

style. There is strong leadership and effectivemanagement with a genuine interest inimprovement. A highly responsive system ofsupport provides an environment in whichstudents learn effectively. IT facilities haveimproved since the last inspection andperformance indicators now provide aframework for quality assurance. Governors andstaff have been active in strategic planning andcollege development. At the time of theinspection, the college was in the middle of a‘transition’, to shift the balance between its longand short course programme, reducing numberson the long course and making a correspondingincrease in targets for short course provision.This has resulted in difficulties for second-yearpart-time students, completing the long course.Staff are aware of these and strategies are inplace to address them once the transitionalperiod is complete. There are some seriousdelays with the accreditation of short coursesand students’ receipt of their results. Thoughthese delays are outside the control of thecollege, they have a serious effect onprogression opportunities for students. Thecollege should improve: accreditationarrangements with external bodies; learningresources, including their integration with IT;staff development and appraisal; qualityassurance; its long-term estates strategy; andmanagement information. Governors need togive further attention to systematic long-termplanning concerning financial issues.


2

Summary

Curriculum area Grade

Mathematics, science and information technology 2

Humanities, including social studies 2

Cross-college provision Grade

Support for students 2

General resources 3

Quality assurance 3

Governance 3

Management 2

The grades awarded as a result of the inspection are given below

The College and its Mission

1 Fircroft College of Adult Education wasfounded by George Cadbury in 1909 as aneducational charity, to provide higher andgeneral education in a residential environment,initially for men. Since 1980, the college hasincluded women on all its courses. The college issituated in an early twentieth-century largefamily residence set in 6 acres of gardens andgrounds in Selly Oak, in south-westBirmingham.

2 The college has a long history of enablingadult learners to have a second chance ofeducation. Many students come to the collegeseeing it as their last chance of education,having had a number of unsuccessful andalienating learning experiences during, andafter, leaving school. Students come with a widerange of learning and support needs as well asunderdeveloped interpersonal and group skills.Many also come from a disadvantaged social oreconomic background. To help these studentssuccessfully move on to the next stage in theirlives and to meet the college’s mission ‘topromote social justice by providing adults withan excellent learning environment for personal,professional and political development’, collegestaff all work together to offer supportiveresidential educational provision. This provisionis offered to resident and non-resident studentsalike and over the last few years the college hasreached out to communities in the inner city andincreasingly across the West Midlands region.

3 The college offers a range of programmesand learning opportunities. ‘Fircroft studies’ is aone-year full-time, or two-year part-time accesscourse known as ‘the long course’, which isvalidated by the National Open College Network(NOCN), and offers a three-stage unitisedprogramme with key skills as a core and unitson humanities, social science, mathematics,science and information technology (IT). Thereis a programme of weekday and weekendresidential short courses, including return to

study, women’s studies, moving on inmathematics, African-Caribbean history and IT.There are also community-based projects andcourses which are based at the college and off-site in the inner city and have residentialelements as an integral part.

4 In 1998-99, the college enrolled 841students, of whom 70 were studying on the longcourse (48 full time and 22 part time), 593 wereon short courses and 178 participated incommunity-based projects. Of the students, 67%were female, 54% were from a minority ethnicbackground, 25% had a disability, 34% wereover 40 years of age, 65% were unemployed orunwaged and 53% had either no qualificationsor a national vocational qualification (NVQ) level1 equivalent. An analysis of the student profileon the community-based projects show thecollege’s clear commitment to achieving itsmission. For example, 94% of students on theprojects are from a minority ethnic backgroundand 100% of the ‘science in the garden’ projectstudents have a disability. In addition, ananalysis of the students funded through theFurther Education Funding Council (FEFC)demonstrated a ‘widening participation uplift’ of4.6% for 1998-99.

5 The college has been successful in itscollaborative work and bidding for a range ofnon-FEFC funding. This funding contributes tothe financial stability of the college, supports itscommunity and childcare provision and helpsdevelop the core curriculum. There is a strongfocus on community building programmeswhich have attracted Single RegenerationBudget and European Social Fund funding.Lottery and European Union funding has beengained to meet the needs of students withspecific learning difficulties and/or disabilities.The college was one of the first recipients offunding from the Adult and CommunityLearning Fund for an innovative partnership ofadult and further education, community healthand drama which meets the needs of womenreturners.


3

Context

6 The college employs 51 staff: 23 teachingstaff, eight administrative staff, 13 householdstaff, three support workers and four managers.Staff work on a range of full-time, part-time andfractional contracts and this equates to 35 full-time equivalents.

The Inspection

7 The college was inspected in February2000. Inspectors had previously evaluated thecollege’s self-assessment report, reviewedinformation about the college held by the FEFCand used college data for students’ retention andachievements. Although the college is notcurrently within the individualised studentrecord (ISR) data collection system, it was ableto present its internal data using the ISRframework. Inspectors found the data to bereliable. Data matched primary sources such aslesson registers and provide the college with agood basis for entering the ISR return system.However, NOCN records did not include finalconfirmation of accreditation results andverification of achievement on the Fircroftstudies programme was completed on receipt ofrecords from NOCN. A large number ofaccreditation results for the short courseprogramme are still outstanding from the NOCN.

Out of a total 577 (1998-99), 195 students arestill awaiting credits. As a result, a table ofretention and achievement rates for the shortcourse programme has not been included in thisreport, although it is a significant part of thecollege’s curriculum.

8 The inspection was carried out by seveninspectors and an auditor working for a total of30 days. Inspectors observed 21 lessons. Theyexamined students’ work and documentationrelating to the college and its courses. Meetingswere held with members of the Croft Trust,governors, managers, teachers, residentialsupport staff, current students, former studentsand representatives from collaborative projects.

9 The following table shows the grades givento the lessons inspected and the national profilefor all colleges inspected in 1998-99. Of the 21lessons inspected, 76% were good oroutstanding. No lessons were less thansatisfactory. This profile is better than the sectorprofile for colleges inspected during 1998-99.


4

Context

Programme Grade Totals1 2 3 4 5

Access to higher education 4 12 5 0 0 21

Total (No.) 4 12 5 0 0 21

Total (%) 19 57 24 0 0 100

National average,all inspected colleges 1998-99 (%) 20 45 29 6 0 100

Source for national average: Quality and Standards in Further Education in England 1998-99:Chief inspector’s annual repor t

Lessons: inspection grades by programme of study


5

Context

10 The following table shows the attendancerates in the lessons observed and the nationalaverage for all colleges inspected in 1998-99.

Average number Average attendanceof students (%)

Fircroft College of Adult Education 10.3 87

National average, all inspected colleges 1998-99 11.2 78

Source for national average: Quality and Standards in Further Education in England 1998-99:Chief inspector’s annual repor t

Attendance rates in lessons observed

Curriculum Areas


6

Mathematics, Science andInformation Technology

Grade 211 Inspectors observed 10 lessons includingtwo different modules of the Fircroft studiesaccess course, mathematics at level 2, andmathematics, science and IT, a short course‘Introduction to the Internet’, a learningsupport session and the ‘science in thegarden’ course for adults with specificlearning difficulties. Inspectors agreed withmost of the judgements in the college self-assessment report. They also identified someadditional strengths and weaknesses.

Key strengths

• well-planned lessons

• extensive individual student supportoutside normal teaching hours

• above average levels of achievement ingeneral certificate of secondary education(GCSE) equivalent mathematics course

• rigorous monitoring and recording ofstudents’ achievements

• good increase in the number of courses,especially in IT

• good provision of modern computers forstudents

Weaknesses

• adverse effect on students’ progression ofdelays in accreditation

• insufficient work at intermediate levels onthe long course

• poor punctuality of some students

1 2 All students on the full-time access coursetake a unit ‘Mathematics – confidence building’and two units of IT during their first term. Then,depending on their attainment and learn i n ggoals, they take either three level 1 credits inessential mathematics or a ‘GCSE equivalent’

course in mathematics. All students also follow anew course which leads to two credits at level 3.The content of this course includes scientificmethod, the validity of data, social and politicalaspects of science and a student investigation.The number of short courses in computing andmathematics has grown from four in 1996-97 to13 in 1998-99. Twenty are planned this year,including newly developed Internet courses. In1998-99, a quarter of all students on the longcourse had pro g ressed from one of the shortc o u r s e s .

1 3 Inspectors agreed with the self-assessmentre p o rt that the high quality of mathematicsteaching is a significant strength. Imaginativelessons ensure that students make rapidp ro g ress in this subject, often from a lowbaseline. IT is used effectively to extend students’l e a rning in mathematics, especially on the level 1course. Students’ work contained computer-generated pictograms, pie charts and graphs. Ina few lessons, students were late and so missedvaluable links with previous work. Inspectorsa g reed that the new mathematics, science and ITcourse contained stimulating cross-cultural andsocial issues that helped to sustain students’i n t e rest. In one lesson, students watched a videowhich described recent discoveries in tissueengineering for organ replacement. The teacherdeftly drew all students into a discussion aboutthe ethics of organ transplant and encouragedthem to substantiate their opinions. In a laterlesson, students embarked on the majorinvestigative project which is a central part ofthis level 3 unit. Unfort u n a t e l y, only one pro j e c tinvolved taking accurate measurements ofscientific data and the students wasted time ins e a rching for appropriate materials.

1 4 Inspectors agreed with the college’s self-assessment re p o rt that the majority of studentsa re enthusiastic about their studies. A group ofstudents following the GCSE equivalentmathematics course were calculating Pearson’sc o rrelation coefficient for sets of data in order tod e t e rmine if there were any relationship between

Curriculum Areas


7

them. This was one of many instances wheredetails of both the theory and the practical taskw e re given to students on pro f e s s i o n a l l yp re p a red handouts. The theory lesson wastaught with humour and pace. Students thenworked effectively in pairs to produce as c a t t e rgram of the data, calculate the coeff i c i e n tand then give a presentation of their conclusionsto the group. Inspection of students’ assessedwork and interviews with students indicated thattoo little attention had been paid to students’p revious experience of the subject. Many foundthe level 1 course too easy and believed that theywould have gained more benefit from ani n t e rmediate level course.

1 5 Enthusiastic staff provide much individualstudent support outside normal timetabledhours. Some of the students on a level 1 Intern e tt h ree-day course arrived early and their teacherimmediately came to assist them. Each studentwas using a computer and gaining confidence inthe use of web browsers and search engines.Later in the session students excitedly shared the information they had gleaned from theI n t e rnet. Students are assisted by rigoro u smonitoring and re c o rding of their achievementbut individual action-planning is stillu n d e rdeveloped for short courses.

1 6 Pass rates on the GCSE mathematicsequivalent course at 65% and 67% for the lasttwo years are above the national average of 50% for adult students. Pass rates on the accesscourse mathematics, science and IT units showsignificant improvement from 52% in 1998 to85% in 1999. The college self-assessment re p o rt recognised the high achievement inmathematics. Retention rates are around thenational average. Students’ work was notdisplayed on the walls. Student pro g ression ratesa re good with over 50% of students pro g re s s i n gto a university course.

1 7 Twelve networked computers, with af u rther four available in the library for students’use, is a particular strength.

Humanities, including SocialStudies

Grade 218 Inspectors observed 11 lessons coveringthe humanities and social studies units of theFircroft studies 30-week access certificate, keyskills and a sample of short course provision.Inspectors judged that the self-assessmentreport was comprehensive and agreed withmost of the strengths and weaknesses whichhad been identified.

Key strengths

• the good quality of teaching and learning

• high achievement rates in the full-timeFircroft studies access certificate

• detailed assessment and monitoring ofstudents’ progress

• innovative and responsive curriculum

• well-planned system for key skillsteaching

Weaknesses

• impact of delays in short courseaccreditation on achievement andprogression

• failure of transition arrangements to meetthe full range of students’ needs

19 Humanities and social studies are two ofthe three curriculum areas on the Fircroftstudies 30-week access certificate. Inhumanities, there are units on African andCaribbean history, literature and culturalstudies, philosophy and utopias. In socialstudies, units are taught on communityorganisation, economics, politics, sociology, raceand ethnicity and women’s studies. The collegehas reviewed the Fircroft studies provision and,from this year, the course has been changedfrom a modular to a unitised curriculum. Thecourse is now run with fewer students and a

smaller core staff. The short course provisionhas been expanded and many of the courses inthis area are planned and run with healthprofessionals, community workers and teachersin higher education. As the self-assessmentreport identifies, these links are effective inpromoting access to education. In 1998-99,eight of the 46 students on the full-time Fircroftstudies had progressed from short coursesprovided by the college.

20 Inspectors agreed with the self-assessmentreport that teaching is a significant strength.The teaching is well planned and documented.Learning objectives are made clear at the startof lessons and are carefully designed andincluded within the lesson plans. Handouts andlesson materials are of a high quality andpromote students’ interest and participation inthe work. A wide variety of teaching methodsare used, some of them innovative. For example, in one short course run in conjunctionwith the Family Support Unit, students useddrama to explore issues about being a youngparent in order to develop scenes for use in apeer education project about parenting. Inanother two-day residential course, studentsexplored and recorded their specific andtransferable skills in order to begin to create acurriculum vitae. In both sessions, tutors quickly established a supportive atmospherethat enabled students to express themselveswith increasing confidence and achieve theplanned learning outcomes. Teaching on theFircroft studies access course is also varied and interesting. Discussion, class and groupwork are all used effectively to promote andsustain students’ interest. The unit on utopiasuses literature, history and politics to analyseand explore theories of perfect societies. In one session, the origin and sources of MartinLuther King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech wereexplored using contemporary film and tapes. In another, the similarities and differencesbetween a wide range of ideal political systems were explored. Teaching in both of


8

Curriculum Areas

these lessons was supportive to students butalso demanding.

21 Students’ written work is thoroughlyassessed, monitored and recorded and detailedfeedback is provided through assessment sheets.However, some students expressed confusionover the details of assessment criteria. Key skillsare separately marked and recorded byspecialist key skills staff. Additional help withkey skills is available for students, but is notcompulsory. In lessons, students who performedwell in oral work often experienced difficulty inunderstanding and analysing written material.This reflects the wide range of learning needsand the low level of key skills competenceamongst some students.

22 As identified in the self-assessment report,achievement on the full-time Fircroft studiesaccess course is good. Targets set forachievement have been exceeded and 97% ofstudents achieved the access certificate in 1999,although retention fell by 22% to 63%. In thepart-time, two-year Fircroft studies course,achievement fell by 33% to 67% with retentionrising from 68% to 91%. The college hasrecognised in its self-assessment report that asignificant weakness of the short courseprovision is the serious delay in providingaccredited qualifications to students. Whilstthese delays have been outside the control of thecollege, they do have an impact on achievementsand progression opportunities for a considerablenumber of students. In lessons, students werewell motivated and interested in their studies.There were some examples of high-qualitywritten work where students had researchedtopics using a wide variety of resources.

23 The full-time Fircroft studies course is wellmanaged with staff meeting regularly to reviewthe curriculum. The clear link between thecollege’s strategic plan and curriculumdevelopment is recognised as a strength in theself-assessment report. A significant weakness ofthe curriculum organisation and management is

that, at present, the unitised course does notprovide sufficient flexibility for students alreadycompetent in an area to progress throughindividual learning at a faster pace than thecourse prescribes. There is an emphasis onequal opportunities and cross-culturalperspectives are integrated with the curriculum.Short courses are frequently aimed at under-represented groups in further education such aslone parents.

24 Staff are well qualified and display athorough and wide-ranging knowledge of theirsubjects. Most teaching rooms are adequate butthe Fircroft studies course is frequently taught ina large room with poor acoustics and layout.The library has an adequate range ofhumanities and social studies books andmaterials.


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Curriculum Areas

Support for Students

Grade 225 Inspectors agreed with the strengths andweaknesses identified in the self-assessmentreport but judged that some strengths hadbeen understated and one weakness,connected to changes made since the repor twas prepared, had not been identified.Considerable progress had been made toaddress weaknesses by the time of theinspection.

Key strengths

• effective recruitment and assessmentprocedures

• comprehensive induction

• effective range of support systems

• comprehensive childcare support for shortcourses

• systematic access to good guidance aboutcareers, employment and highereducation

• imaginative community-buildingprogrammes

Weaknesses

• lack of guidance on progression for allshort course students

26 The residential environment is key to theprovision of highly supportive learning.Residential arrangements are well managed andstaff create a welcoming environment forstudents, many of whom lack family support.Inspectors judged that the college hadunderestimated this strength. Evidence providedby the value-added analysis at the end of thecourse demonstrates the great distance travelledby many of the students, their impressiveachievements and the enormous value theyplace on the residential context for theirdevelopment. During inspection a group of

former students reflected on how the quality ofthe residential experience at Fircroft College ofAdult Education had enhanced their lives andeffectively prepared them for higher education.

27 At the centre of the highly responsivesystem of support, is the encouragement givento students to play a full part in the life of thecollege community. This includes fullinvolvement of students in the running of thecollege through membership of collegecommittees, and a weekly common roommeeting, which not only addresses issues ofimmediate student concern but also providesopportunities for them to develop publicspeaking and presentational skills. The studentunion is active in the social life of the collegeand provides support for students in difficulty.

28 Inspectors agreed with the college’s self-assessment that it is effective in promotinginclusive learning. Provision of a variety ofrecruitment, induction and support structuresmeet a range of student needs and ensuresuitable conditions in which students canachieve their learning goals. Prospectivestudents are well informed about the college andits courses. College information material isefficiently distributed through professionalnetworks throughout the country. Presentstudents include some recruited through careersofficers in Kent, Coventry and Lincoln as well asthe local Birmingham-based service. Advice onalternative provision is offered to ensure thatstudents make appropriate decisions. A writtenassignment is the first step in diagnosingindividual students’ needs for language support.This process is refined and developed during thefive-week induction period. There is noassessment of numeracy during the selectionprocess since the college is aware that manystudents come with a negative attitude towardsmathematics.

29 Considerable progress has been made inthe provision of support services since the lastinspection. Personal counselling is available at a


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Cross-college Provision

neighbouring college; the service is wellpublicised on noticeboards and in the studenthandbook. Study support provision has beenincreased to help students’ achievements and toensure that they are retained on courses. Theretention rate on the long course at the time ofthe inspection was 100%, though there had beena decrease in retention last year. Full-timestudents have a regular session with personaltutors, which includes action-planning andfeedback. In addition, one-to-one contact withpersonal tutors and key skills and other supportstaff often amounts to several sessions a week.The residential environment means that muchinformal support is available. The collegerecognises that much of this support isunrecorded. However, effective monitoring ofindividual students’ progress occurs at theweekly ‘student issues’ meeting. Here informalsupport is registered, further action identifiedand outcomes reported. Tutorials are welldocumented. Attendance and lateness ismonitored daily and followed up at the weeklyreview meeting. Swift follow-up has beeninstrumental in identifying students ‘at risk’ andremedial action is quickly implemented.

30 Short course provision has increasedsubstantially, from 204 students in 1997-98 to577 students participating in programmes in1998-99. Support systems for short courses aredeveloping. Students on a short course on theuse of electronic mail appreciated the small sizeof the group and one student valued the adviceshe had been given to take a basic computerliteracy course before being enrolled. A partiallysighted student was provided with a largescreen for her computer and given enlargedhandouts, as well as preparatory information onaudiotape. Short courses are part of a newrecruitment strategy for the long course and arealready proving effective in this respect.

31 The previous inspection report noted thelack of systematic guidance offered to students.Much progress has been made with theappointment of a qualified member of staff.

Improved contacts with the local careers serviceensure that students receive high-quality advice.A careers officer who specialises in advisingadults participates in the first week of theFircroft studies course to outline the serviceavailable. The service has not yet been extendedto all students on short course provision; thiswas recognised as a weakness in the self-assessment report. On site, the tutor librarianprovides comprehensive advice to those wishingto proceed to higher education. The list ofdestinations and courses for last year’s studentsshows a wide range of subjects, with studentsgoing to higher education throughout the UnitedKingdom.

32 Inspectors judged as a strength, the role ofthe full-time community tutor in residence whoworks to develop a supportive community.Group activities have included an expedition to ayouth hostel in Snowdonia. The tutor also playsa part in short courses: at weekends he hostsquizzes, a valuable opportunity enabling longcourse residents to mix with short courseparticipants. Informal conversations in thiscontext are important in helping short coursemembers consider enrolling on the Fircroftstudies course.

33 There is comprehensive childcare supportduring evenings and weekends for shortcourses. Part of the college premises is licensedby the local authority as a place for the care ofchildren. Students value the high quality ofchildcare and the opportunity this service offers;without this support many would not be able topursue their education.


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General Resources

Grade 334 Inspectors agreed with most of thejudgements in the self-assessment report.

Key strengths

• good residential learning environment forstudents

• efficient use of accommodation

• good facilities and work areas for staff

Weaknesses

• inadequate library and learning resources

• some accommodation in need ofrefurbishment

• lack of long-term estates strategy

35 The college estate consists of four buildingson one site of six acres. The two main buildingsare an Edwardian residence, and two buildingsdate from the 1960s. The college site includesextensive grounds and gardens. The buildingsand grounds together provide a residentialenvironment that encourages learning. Thisstrength was understated in the self-assessmentreport. Students with restricted mobility do nothave access to some of the accommodation,including the first and second floors of the mainhouse. One room is provided for students’recreational use, in addition to the students’common room. Students have access to a rangeof recreational facilities that are nearby, but off-site. These include a sports hall, swimming pooland a football pitch. The college has good carparking facilities. The college uses otherpremises for its community provision. Theseinclude a building on the Selly Oak Collegecampus, a teaching centre in Aston, and otherrented accommodation. The college estateincludes a house adjacent to the other buildingsthat is currently occupied by the principal.

36 The college does not own any of its

buildings; they are leased from a separatecharitable trust. This trust does not own thefreehold itself, and leases the grounds andbuildings from another trust. In 1979, thecollege acquired a 21-year lease that was due toexpire in September 2000. The college preparedan estates strategy document in 1994 that hasonly recently been updated. The new strategy isan interim statement pending furtherconsideration of the college’s strategic direction.College governors have agreed a new one-yearlease for the buildings and grounds that willexpire in September 2001. The lack of a long-term estates strategy is a weakness that waspartly identified in the college’s self-assessmentreport. In other ways, the college managesresources effectively. There is a shortage ofspace at peak times and a room policy sets outcriteria for the allocation of rooms. Roomutilisation is monitored and college data indicateefficient use of accommodation. Using thestandard further education measure, roomutilisation was 69% in 1998-99. Inspectorsagreed with the self-assessment report thatthere is effective use of rooms. A computerisedroom booking system is being introduced toimprove further room scheduling, especially forthe increasing number of short courses.

37 The college has 43 bedrooms for students.Most of these study bedrooms are adequatelyfurnished and maintained. One bedroom isadapted for use by students with restrictedmobility. The college recognises that oneresidential block requires further refurbishment.Inspectors agreed with the self-assessmentreport that this was a weakness. The mainbuilding has some difficult design features.These result in some creative use of space suchas photocopiers being placed by the entrances totoilets. There is a maintenance programme forthe buildings. In recent years, this has includedimprovements to fire doors, replacements ofground floor doors to enable access for studentsin wheelchairs, and upgrading of bathrooms forresident students. All full-time teachers have a


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computer terminal that is linked to the collegenetwork. There are good facilities and workareas for teachers and support staff. Inspectorsagreed that this was a strength. The college hasan assets register and a plan for replacingequipment. Staff employed by the collegeprovide domestic services, including catering,cleaning, maintenance and gardening. Thecleaning of some parts of the buildings wasinadequate during 1998-99 and the collegerecognised this in its self-assessment report.Action has been taken to address this.

38 The college acknowledges that libraryresources are inadequate, and inspectors agreedthat this was a weakness. The library is open 24hours every day, but has an insufficient stock ofabout 5,000 books. The budget for the librarywas £3,000 in 1998-99, amounting to about £28per full-time equivalent student. There are 15study spaces for students in addition to fourpersonal computers. There is a small andinadequate supply of other learning resources,such as CD-ROMs, videos and audiotapes.Students have access to the BirminghamUniversity Orchard resource centre which islocated nearby. Some students value thisresource and make good use of it, while othersrarely use it. The college’s IT centre has 11computers of a good standard and the collegehas effectively upgraded IT facilities during thelast three years. The college has a good ratio ofcomputers to full-time equivalent students; theratio was 1:7 in 1998-99. Students cannot usethe IT centre late at night and during parts ofthe weekends. Students have 24-hour access tofour computers in the library. The college hasyet to develop an Intranet, or to integrate ITresources with library or other learningresources.

Quality Assurance

Grade 339 Inspectors agreed with most of the keystrengths and weaknesses identified by thecollege in its self-assessment report, butidentified an additional weakness.

Key strengths

• clear and explicit quality assuranceprocedures

• regular and timely reportingarrangements

• well-established, effective arrangementsto ensure feedback from students

Weaknesses

• staff development and appraisal notlinked to quality assurance process

• underdeveloped use of benchmarkingdata to determine standards

• insufficient clarity about relationship ofquality assurance procedures to externalprojects

• lack of awareness by some staff of thenew quality assurance framework

4 0 The college has within the last 12 monthsi n t roduced a clearly documented qualityassurance framework. It is based on CouncilC i rcular 97/12, Validating Self-assessment.Inspectors agreed that it reflects a high level ofcommitment to the improvement of the quality ofcourses. Each of the college’s teams sets targ e t sand produces an annual re p o rt. The re p o rtincludes judgements on strengths andweaknesses, a grade and action points. Report sa re reviewed by the self-assessment re v i e wcommittee and lead to an annual re p o rt which issubmitted to governors. The management gro u pf o rmally reviews the pro g ress made to achieveannual objectives three times a year, and thenre p o rts pro g ress to governors. Most staff


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recognise the value of the new quality assurancesystem in formalising and bringing a stru c t u re tothe earlier informal system. However, not all staffa re fully aware of the framework and the waysin which its components fit together. There is noevidence yet that the use of this framework hashad any effect on students’ retention. Inspectorsa g reed with the self-assessment re p o rt that therelationship of quality assurance pro c e d u res toe x t e rnal projects needs further clarification.

41 The college produced its first self-assessment report in September 1999. This was updated for inspection in January2000. It includes a summary of the progressmade since the last inspection in October 1996.It draws on the views and experience of collegestaff who were involved in the agreeing ofstandards, performance indicators and evidence.The process of self-assessment has producedaccurate and reliable statements by the collegeon its performance. Inspectors’ judgementsclosely match those of the college. College lessonobservation grades are slightly lower than thosegiven by inspectors. A lesson observation pack isbased on self-assessment and gives good,detailed guidance to the observer.

42 The college’s student charter identifiesstandards of service and is understood bystudents. Inspectors agreed with the self-assessment report that there are extensiveopportunities for students to feed back issuesand concerns through a network of committeesand meetings. Academic issues are fed backthrough interim and final course evaluations.Tutors receive detailed summaries of feedbackfrom evaluation forms. Students are also able toraise academic and residential issues directlywith personal tutors who are often availableduring evenings and weekends. The studentunion provides another forum for student views.Changes have occurred as a result of feedbackfrom students, for example, in the organisationof examinations and the provision of extrasupport sessions. The few formal complaintsreceive a prompt and appropriate response.

Catering staff receive many compliments on thequality of their service.

43 There are performance indicators for allareas of the college’s activities. Though this isidentified as a strength in the self-assessmentreport, inspectors could not wholly agree withthis. Most staff recognise their role in qualityassurance and improvement. Performanceindicators are closely linked to the college’smission statement. They are used to inform thereports on quality presented to governors. Thequality assurance framework suggests thatperformance indicators should be ‘provocativeand suggestive’, but this is not always the case.A number of performance indicators, thoughexpressed in percentages, would be hard tomeasure. For example, one performanceindicator is ‘to work effectively in group and insubgroups’ (80%) and another is ‘to producequality, useful reports from the food committee,’(80%). Others lack quantifiable measures.Targets for long and short courses are detailedand realistic. There is a timetable for reviewingtargets and a clear monitoring and reportingprocedure. Some targets, such as returningmarked work within 10 days are regularlyexceeded. Not all targets have associatedperformance indicators. Performance indicatorsfor support services are at an early stage ofdevelopment.

44 The college has begun to compare itsprovision against other residential colleges butacknowledge that this is still incomplete. Somecomparison of enrolment, retention andachievement information statistics has begun,but this has not yet informed the college’s owntarget-setting process.

45 Staff development and appraisal are not yetlinked to the quality assurance process. This is aweakness identified in the self-assessmentreport. Currently, there is no consistentapproach to appraisal. The college plans tointroduce a new appraisal model for all staff.Most academic staff development is through


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individual research activities. In the past therehas been no requirement that these should belinked to the college’s strategic objectives. This isslowly changing. A skills audit has recently beenconducted to identify existing skills anddevelopment needs amongst teachers for theextended range of short courses. Staffdevelopment activities are not yet formallyevaluated.

Governance

Grade 346 Inspectors and auditors agreed withmost of the strengths and weaknessesidentified in the college’s self-assessmentreport but considered that some strengthswere overstated and that some weaknesseswere not recognised.

Key strengths

• effective involvement in strategic planning

• commitment to the mission of the college

• effective action to secure governorappointments from nominating bodies

• systematic review of governing bodyeffectiveness

• skills and experience of governors

Weaknesses

• no formal adoption of revised andreconciled instrument and articles ofgovernment

• insufficiently regular consideration ofmanagement accounts

• inadequate arrangements for therecording and reporting of somecommittees

• insufficient formal attention to academicissues

47 Following a review by the FEFC’s auditservice in the autumn of 1998, where significant

weaknesses were identified, the governing bodyhas worked well with senior staff to put in placea range of new procedures. Governors arestrongly committed to the college mission andthis informs the strategic planning. Inspectorsand auditors agreed with the self-assessmentreport that governors actively contribute to thecollege’s strategic planning. Governors receiveregular reports on the achievement of corporateobjectives and consider the applicability ofannual objectives for the coming year. A strategyday was held jointly with the Croft Trust toconsider educational and funding issues.Governors have considered in depth the futuredirection of the college. The governing body hassystematic procedures for reviewing its owneffectiveness. This strength was identified in theself-assessment report. Governors completeevaluation questionnaires at each governingbody meeting to assess the effectiveness ofindividual contributions. Performance indicatorshave been established to measure theeffectiveness of the governing body andgovernors receive an annual report onperformance.

48 The charitable scheme of the collegeprescribes the nomination of the majority ofgovernors. This has led to difficulties in the pastin achieving a full complement of governors.Governors have been active recently incanvassing nominating bodies to secureappropriate candidates for appointment. Theyacknowledge the need to improve the genderand ethnicity balance of the governing body. Thegoverning body has a wide range of skills andknowledge of the sector which is used to goodeffect, particularly in strategic planning and indeveloping lifelong learning. A detailed skillsaudit has been undertaken to identify currentskills and competences and to identify trainingneeds. This has not yet been linked to a formaltraining programme. However, governors haveattended a number of training events. Agovernor job description and personspecification has been developed. The governing


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body meets termly. Attendance at governingbody meetings is reasonable. Meetings arequorate. The principal has been appraised. Thesenior postholders have not.

49 The FEFC’s audit service concludes that,within the scope of its assessment, thegovernance of the college is adequate. Thegoverning body substantially conducts itsbusiness in accordance with the instrument andarticles of government and charitable scheme. Itsubstantially fulfils its responsibilities under thefinancial memorandum with the FEFC. Thecollege is governed primarily by a charitablescheme but defers to the standard instrumentand articles of government on issues where thescheme makes no provision. The instrument andarticles of government have not been formallyadopted by the governing body either in theoriginal form or as recently amended. Thecollege does not own the grounds or buildingfrom which it operates. The building andgrounds are leased from a separate charitabletrust, the Croft Trust. The formal accountabilityof the college to the trust is through theconditions of the lease. However, the trustprovides considerable financial support to thecollege over and above the lease arrangementand the trustees have firm views as to thepurpose of the college and the type and mannerof education it should provide.

50 Arrangements for the clerking ofcorporation business are satisfactory. The clerk’s knowledge and experience is highlyvalued by governors. The clerk is a member ofthe management team and has significantmanagement responsibilities. The clerk has adetailed job description which is separate from the management post. The clerk attends all meetings with the exception of theremuneration committee for which no minutesare prepared. Governors approve a schedule ofmeetings for the year. The schedule does notinclude the audit or remuneration or personnelcommittees. Personnel committee meetings areheld on the same day as governing body

meetings and the business of the committeereported orally to the governing body. The self-assessment identifies as a weakness the lack ofrecent consideration of educational issues by thegoverning body. Reports to governors onstudents’ retention and achievements have beenon an annual basis.

51 Auditors considered that the college hasintroduced satisfactory procedures for opennessand accountability. Codes of conduct forgovernors have been adopted. A‘whistleblowing’ procedure is in place. Aregister of interests for governors and staff withfinancial responsibilities is updated annually.The register of interests and minutes and papersof meetings are available for public inspection.Procedures for confirming the eligibility ofgovernors have been recently adopted. Thecollege does not have a confidentiality policy.Governors monitor the financial position of thecollege through scrutiny of managementaccounts at finance and executive committeeand governing body meetings.

52 Governors receive monthly managementaccounts independent of the cycle of committeemeetings. However, neither the finance andexecutive committee nor governing bodyconsider management accounts during theautumn term and the frequency of scrutiny ofaccounts falls below the required minimum. Thefirst committee consideration of managementaccounts is six months into the financial year.The infrequency of governors’ monitoring ofcollege finances is not sufficiently recognised asa weakness in the self-assessment report.


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Management

Grade 253 Inspectors agreed with most of thejudgements in the self-assessment report.Many of the issues identified in the first self-assessment report had been addressed by thetime of the inspection. Inspectors identifiedan additional weakness.

Key strengths

• effective leadership

• good communications

• successful initiatives for wideningparticipation

• effective financial management reporting

• good implementation of equalopportunities

Weaknesses

• insufficient long-term contingencyplanning and risk assessment

• insufficient health and safety reporting

• underdeveloped management information

54 The college has a clearly defined mission.The wording of the statement has recently been changed as a result of student sensitivity.It now emphasises ‘social justice’ rather thanthe ‘disadvantages’ of students. The college issuccessful in achieving its mission of offeringgood-quality programmes of learning to adultswho have few previous qualifications. Staff andstudents understand the mission. Inspectorsagreed that this is a strength. There is strongleadership. There was a change of principal 18months before the inspection. During that timethe senior management team worked effectivelywith the governing body to reposition itself inresponse to changing external circumstances.The senior management team has beensuccessful in changing the college so that staff

in all sections concentrate more effectively oncontinuous improvement. Staff and students findthe college friendly and responsive. They speakhighly of the changes made and understand thereasons for them. The college achieved itsannual enrolment target on the long course andexceeded its targets on the short courses. Theresults show improvement in achievement overthe past three years.

55 The strategic planning process is becomingincreasingly specific and measurable. Theannual operating plans include specificperformance indicators. This strength wasrecognised in the self-assessment report. Theprogress made against annual objectives ismonitored three times a year, and detailedexplanations given of any variances. The three-year strategic plan has been reviewed, andtargets revised in response to these variances.Staff are involved in the process and feel thattheir views are respected. The current annualplan is based on marketing information from avariety of sources, including community contactsand local labour market information. Theannual planning is effective. The senior staffreceive management information sufficient fortheir needs, but the management informationsystem is underdeveloped and student recordsare not kept consistently or coherently. Thecollege has plans to address this andacknowledges that this is a weakness.

56 Inspectors agreed with the self-assessmentreport that communication is good. Staff speakhighly of the approachability of senior staff.There are weekly meetings for students andstaff, where issues of concern are discussed andaddressed. All staff are members of teams andhave regular meetings with their line managers.The committees and their remits have beenrevised to reflect changes in the curriculum andgovernance. Students are represented on thesecommittees, as appropriate. There is a clearreporting structure in place to ensure that issuesraised in meetings or with line managers arefollowed up. This is mainly the responsibility of


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senior managers, who either chair or attend thecollege meetings and committees and raise anyissues at weekly senior management meetings.There is a health and safety committee whichmeets regularly. It does not provide reports tothe governing body. This weakness is notidentified in the self-assessment report. Thesenior management team comprises theprincipal and three staff with respectiveresponsibility for the management of financeand residence, the registry, personnel andstudent support, and the curriculum. The rolesare clearly defined and managers haveconsiderable autonomy in leading thesefunctions. The college has recently improved itselectronic communications and the majority ofstaff now have access to electronic mail.

57 The FEFC’s audit service concludes that,within the scope of its review, the college’sfinancial management is adequate. The head offinance is a qualified accountant and part of themanagement team. Management accounts areproduced monthly to an agreed time target andconsidered by the management team. Themanagement accounts comply with goodpractice and variance reporting usefullydistinguishes between timing issues and thosewith a year-end effect. The forecast year-endposition is updated monthly. Reports to budgetholders do not include committed expenditure.The budget-setting process is clearly understoodby budget holders. Financial and statisticalreturns to the FEFC are timely. Financialregulations have been recently reviewed andmeet with best practice. Revised financialprocedures are awaiting governor approval.Internal audit has not raised any significantweaknesses in internal control. External audithas drawn attention to the college’s financialposition and possible vulnerability because ofthe absence of a long-term estates strategy. Therisk assessment and contingency planning doesnot address these issues sufficiently.

58 The college’s implementation of equalopportunities is a strength recognised in the

self-assessment report. Since the last inspectionthe college has improved the balance of thestaffing profile. The college analyses studentdata by race, gender and disability and setsrecruitment improvement targets which it hasmet. Statistical data include a value-addedanalysis, which shows the distance travelled bystudents. The college deals appropriately withissues that arise at the college such ashomophobic discrimination. The college hasrecently updated its equal opportunities policy toinclude the disability discrimination act. Thecollege values its staff and has a group lookingat the prospects for staff when projects finish.

59 The development of community contactsand partnerships is a strength recognised in theself-assessment report. The college is a partnerin a wide range of widening participationprojects, providing residential weekends inmany of them. The projects include accessprogrammes for women from minority ethnicgroups, confidence building for people withrecently acquired disabilities, return to learningfor people with learning difficulties andcommunity building for voluntary groups inrural communities. Partners speak highly of thecollege’s contribution and its inclusive approachto learning. The projects have involved 1,000students and bring considerable benefits to thecollege community by widening itsrepresentation. The college now provideschildcare. Some students have placements insome of the projects. The majority of studentsprogress to some form of learning, either withinthe college or colleges elsewhere. Of the studentson the long course, 25% progressed fromcommunity-based projects.

Conclusions

60 The inspection team found the college to beopen and committed to self-assessment. Thereport provided a reliable basis for planning theinspection. It reflected the views and experienceof staff and governors and presented a clear and


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comprehensive evaluation of the college’s work.It was supported by good evidence and theaction plan linked to judgements provides achallenging agenda for college development.Inspectors agreed with all of the college’sjudgements and all of the grades awarded by thecollege.

61 Strengths and weaknesses identified duringthe inspection are listed under each section ofthis report. The main strengths and weaknessesare identified in the summary.


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Student numbers by age (1998-99)

Age %

Under 16 0

16-18 years 0

19-24 years 11

25+ years 84

Not known 5

Total 100

Source: college data

Student numbers by level of study (1998-99)

Level of study %

Level 1 (foundation) 18

Level 2 (intermediate) 33

Level 3 (advanced) 13

Level 4/5 (higher) 0

Non-schedule 2 36

Total 100


Student numbers by mode of attendance andcurriculum area (1998-99)

Programme Full Part Total area time time provision

%

Science 16 306 38

Humanities 32 487 62

Total 48 793 100


Widening participation

Based on a postcode analysis of 1998-99 ISRdata, the college recruited 58% of students fromdisadvantaged areas defined in relation to theDepartment of the Environment Index of LocalConditions.

Staff expressed as full-time equivalents(1998-99)

Perm- Fixed Casual Totalanent term

Direct learning contact 7 5 0 12

Supporting direct learning contact 2 1 0 3

Other support 17 2 1 20

Total 26 8 1 35

Source: college data, rounded to nearest full-time equivalent

College Statistics


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Three-year T rends

Financial data

1997 1998 1999

Income £1,145,000 £1,221,000 £1,400,000

Average level of funding (ALF) n/a n/a n/a

Payroll as a proportion of income 48% 47% 46%

Achievement of funding target 104% 101% 130%

Diversity of income 58% 63% 53%

Operating surplus £47,000 -£1,000 -£18,000

Sources: Income – college (1997,1998 and 1999)ALF – not applicablePayroll – college (1997, 1998 and 1999)Achievement of funding target – college (1997, 1998 and 1999)Diversity of income – college (1997, 1998 and 1999)Operating surplus – college (1997, 1998 and 1999)

Students’ achievements data

Level Retention Students aged 19 or overand pass 1996 1997 1998

3 Number of starters 78 72 68

Retention (%) 82 85 72

Achievement (%) 77 81 89

Source: college

College Statistics


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Published by theFurther Education Funding Council

Website www.fefc.ac.uk© FEFC May 2000

FEFC Inspection Report 67/00

Fircroft College of Adult Education · 2 The college has a long history of enabling adult learners to have a second chance of education. Many students come to the college seeing it

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