quality-standards-and-curriculum-committee- 27 January 2025

The Committee took the opportunity to welcome D. Blasczyk and A Rao, newly appointed Governors, to their first meeting of the Committee as part of their Induction.

J. Barratt in the Chair.

01/25.  Declarations of Interest

No pecuniary interests declared.

02/25.  Minutes – 02 December 2024 (Appendix – Agenda Item 3)

Resolved:  That the Minutes of the meeting held on 02 December 2024, were approved as a true record, subject to the inclusion of P. Adams as an attendee.

03/25.  Matters Arising from the Minutes

None.

04/25.  OFSTED (Appendices, Agenda Item 5)

Further to Minute Number 40/25, the VP, Q, A & I presented to the Committee a further verbal report on actions taken by the college to prepare for the upcoming OFSTED Inspection since the last Committee meeting –

• The college Self-Assessment Report (SAR) 2023 – 2024, had been completed and submitted to OFSTED.
• The college Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) had been finalised.
• Briefings for staff have been held to support their preparation for the inspection. The focus being to support staff understanding of why the college had self-assessed as Outstanding.
• Preparation of possible questions for teachers and students, based on the key lines of enquiry in the latest OFSTED Inspection Handbook. The governors’ preparation pack was in development based on the latest intelligence from recent visits already undertaken in other colleges.
• OFSTED data analysis against other providers had been refined and completed. Updated outcome data had been collected which improved further the college’s position in relation to other providers’ outcomes and would be added to the Self-assessment Report.
• Skills contact engagement programme. At the request of the Committee, the VP, Q, A & I provided an update on the recent competition success of one of college’s apprentices. The apprentice had won the National SkillBuild/Worldskills gold medal at the national finals in November 2024 and had won a place in the Super Trowel masonry skills challenge competition in Las Vegas.  The event featured all the regional winners from the United States along with winners of national competitions across the world.  The apprentice placed second in the competition; only once before had someone from outside the United States won a medal.   This performance enhanced both the apprentice’s reputation and that of the college.  The Committee agreed this affirmed the college’s positive track record in skills competitions and supported the college’s strategy of developing further students’ skills through competition.
• Review of ‘deep dive’ process to support preparation.

05/24.  SCG Self-Assessment Report 2023-24 Final Version (Appendix, Agenda Item 6)

The Draft College Self-Assessment Report (SAR) had been discussed by the Board at its meeting on 09 December 2024.  The document had been further revised at the Board’s instruction, to better evidence in the final version impact, particularly of areas such as Personal Development, Behaviours and Attitudes, and Leadership and Management.

The Committee, having reviewed the final version of the document (previously circulated), concluded that –

• The updated data collected by the college should be included in the final version of the document.
• The students’ case studies added value to the document and evidenced the impact of the college’s approach to developing students’ skills and supporting their progress.
• The detail on the development of subject areas was of value and was clear on how the college continued to support driving up standards.
• The document demonstrated how the college worked with other providers to support the development of skills across the college’s provision.

Having discussed the report, the Committee AGREED that –

• The Self-Assessment Report should be further updated to include the latest grade data and re-submitted to OFSTED.
• Subject to this, the document reflected the revisions as required by the Board.
• It was assured regarding the accuracy and completeness of the document, and the rigour of the process used to produce the report.

06/25.  Final Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) 2024 – 2025 (Appendix - Agenda Item 6)

The VP, Q, A & I explained that the Plan (previously circulated) had been finalised, informed by the outcomes of the college’s quality review process.  The Committee was also reassured that a more detailed course-level QEP existed for each subject; the college-level QEP drew out key themes from these for wider focus.

As previously explained to the Committee, the Plan reflected the heightened focus on raising the grade profile for Year 1 students; the intention being to provide opportunities for students to maximise their overall high grade for Year 2.

• Attendance. Regarding attendance, the Committee identified that student attendance was currently at 87.1% and had been affected by adverse weather and recent industrial action. However, discounting these factors, attendance was still below expected levels at 88%.  The Committee discussed the effectiveness of the current intervention strategies, including targeted interventions, regular reports to parents, and targeted support from the tutorial teams for English and maths.  The Committee acknowledged that the college did not record ‘authorised absence’ and in terms of value-added attendance across the sixth form, the college was above the sector average.  Nevertheless, the Committee expected the college to continue its focus on attendance and raise the 16 – 18 core attendance rate to over 90%.
• Apprenticeships. The Committee, whilst acknowledging the positive direction of travel in terms of completion rates, continued to press for improvement in the college’s completion rate.
• Parental Engagement. Parental responses to the college’s Parental Perception of College (PPoC) survey had improved significantly in 2023 – 2024, but were still below the college’s expectations for parent engagement. Communications with parents focussed on relating ‘core’ information on students’ progress and attendance.  Whilst parent engagement at parents’ evening was high and presented an opportunity to the college to improve engagement, the Committee encouraged the college to consider whether it was possible to explore different ways to communicate with parents.
• Retention. Following the successful Learning Walk in Vocational Education - Health and Social Care, questions had been submitted regarding Level 2 retention and progression from Level 2 to Level 3 provision. In response to a question on what measures the college employed to ensure retention of Level 2 students in year, the VP – T&VE explained -
• A review and discussion of attendance / retention / withdrawals to understand curriculum position was a weekly agenda item for the Senior Leadership Team.
• Progress Grade Setting meetings with students discussing aspirations, motivation and requirements to achieve were held at 3 points in the year.
• Analysis of groups, specifically individuals ‘at risk’ and strategies confirmed with ‘next steps’ to support retention, ultimately achievement discussed at Quality Review Meetings.
• Use of progression specialists to provide:
  • Bespoke support sessions and workshops where applicable
  • Attendance monitoring
  • Implementing, monitoring, and reviewing intervention strategies
  • Effective use of weekly pastoral time
    • 1-2-1
    • Group sessions
• Use of ALS / Safeguarding / Counselling services:
  1. Collaborative working to ensure best endeavours were made for students with support needs.
  2. Close monitoring and reviewing of Moving On/Transitions Plans along with EHCP plans and the implementation of these
  3. Close curriculum engagement
  4. Timely referrals for support
  5. Close monitoring of Looked After young People (LAYP)

In response to a question on what percentage of Level 2 vocational students progressed to Level 3 at the college, the VP, Q, A & I explained -

• For the 2023/24 year, 16 – 18 Level 2 retention = 90.5%
• In Year retention (2024/25) = 98.5%.  Therefore, the direction of travel in terms of retention in year was improving, demonstrating the positive impact of the college’s focus on supporting retention. 
• The college was seeing a much stronger position for Level 2 in-year retention that in the previous year.  This reflected the impact of the work being done in college to support students’ engagement and in the college’s investment in targeted support.  The Quality Reviews focussed on the impact of the interventions and what could be done to improve further. 
• Progression from Level 2 to Level 3 in 2023 – 24 – 2024 – 25 = 64%. 474 students had completed a Level 2 course; 305 progressed onto Level 3.  Whilst some courses did not offer the opportunity to progress onto Level 3, students could progress onto apprenticeships, employment or another course.  The 99% positive destination rate for Level 2 students was a very strong performance.

07/25.  Professional Practice Reviews (PPR) 2024 – 25 – Update (Agenda item7)

The VP, Q, I & A presented a verbal update on the PPR Programme undertaken at the college 13 – 24 January 2025.

• 247 observations had been planned.
• To date –
  • 82 were fully completed.
  • 49 were awaiting teachers’ confirmation.
  • 111 were awaiting observer write-up.
  • 3 yet to be arranged.
  • 2 to reprogramme.
• 107 (148) Principal Recommendation of ‘Share’ = 70% (63%)
• 45 (83) Principal Recommendation of ‘Develop’ = 30% (37%)

The main themes arising from the Programme so far included - 

• Effective Classroom Management:  High expectations for behaviour, positive rapport with students, and a supportive, calm atmosphere conducive to learning.
• Strong Questioning and Engagement Techniques:  Effective individual and group questioning with follow-ups, use of open questions, and fluent use of technical vocabulary to extend student thinking.
• Clear and Structured Lesson Planning: Thorough planning with clear aims and objectives, well-structured tasks, and scaffolded learning to build complexity progressively, along with a good mix of individual, paired, and group activities.
• High-Quality Instructional Resources and Strategies: Utilisation of high-quality resources, clear explanations with examples and case studies, and effective use of whiteboards and diagrams to aid understanding and retention.
• Practical Relevance and Safety Awareness: Deep content knowledge linked to industry standards and practical applications, along with a strong emphasis on safety procedures and professional preparedness.

There were some development areas around -

• Questioning Techniques.
• Pacing and Engagement.
• Resource Development.
• Note-Taking and Reflection.
• Feedback and Confidence.

The Director of Quality Teaching & Learning Enhancement explained the next steps and how the recommendations would be rolled out to teachers and how any support or interventions would be implemented.

08/25.  Safeguarding Update (Agenda Item 8)

The Committee received a verbal report to receive assurance that the college continued to effectively fulfil its statutory obligations regarding safeguarding in college and that the college’s processes to identify and support vulnerable students over the holiday period, had been effective.

The Committee reviewed a report from the VP, S as follows –

• Students had been able to access the emergency out of hours support provided by the Student Assistance Programme, over the holiday period.
• The college had received no /High Risk notifications over the period, possibly as due to the impact of the support and targeted interventions the college had put in place to support vulnerable students before the Christmas break and prepare them for the holiday period.

Since the beginning of the new Term, the college had –

• As part of its strategy to address emotionally based college avoidance behaviours, the college was using the next staff CPD event on 14 February 2025, to focus on supporting student-facing staff to understand the issues and barriers facing students and putting strategies in place to support them.
• The student safeguarding group was being launched in tutorials and the emotional health and wellbeing student ambassadors’ programme was also being developed.
• The Emotional Health & Wellbeing Practitioner, working across the college had been working with 184 students over the first Term and was currently supporting 91 students regularly.

EDI

• In response to a question on how the college was responding to a possible rise in extremism as a result of the inauguration of President Trump, the HoS advised that anecdotally, in the West Midlands, there had been a slight rise in right-wing activity, particularly online, amongst young people. The college would continue to liaise closely with PREVENT partners and continue its work with students in college. The Board Chair confirmed that the most recent PREVENT training materials shared with staff would also be circulated to all governors.  All governors had undertaken the mandatory Home Office PREVENT update development.

The Committee also acknowledged the likelihood that the PREVENT Progamme would be significantly amended following the outcome of the Southport public inquiry.

09/25.  Risk

The Committee considered the strategic risks relevant to its remit and agreed that they had been discussed within the meeting, particularly –

• QSC 1 - Risk of retention factor falling below target 95% for 16-19 students (or declining from year to year)
• QSC 2 - Risk that Achievement rates fall below target or are declining.
• QSC 4 – Risk that Attendance falls below target levels.
• QSC 5 - Risk that Systems in place to support students who are struggling to achieve predicted grades are not effective.

10/25.  Date of Next Meeting – 24 March 2025 from 5.30 p.m. – venue to be confirmed.

The meeting concluded at 7.45 p.m.