Petroc

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

Students generally make good progress and complete their courses successfully. Success rates have improved well over the last three years, both on college-based courses and on apprenticeship programmes. They are now at or above national averages for similar colleges.

A few intermediate level courses and a few apprenticeships have lower success rates. The large cohort of students studying GCE A and AS subjects achieves results that are comparable to the high national averages seen in sixth form colleges. Students' work is generally of a good standard.

Many of the students have good written and number skills and where these are weaker they improve well with the additional support students recei...ve at the college. Many achieve good results in their functional skills examinations. A high percentage of students progress into further study or employment.

Students contribute a great deal to the life of the local community. They learn effectively about economic and social aspects of working life through work experience. Their organisational and leadership skills are well developed through these programmes.

They have good support to help them to develop healthy lifestyles and they respond to these well. Students feel safe and have high regard for college staff, who they see as friendly and supportive. Teaching and learning are good.

Most lessons combine enjoyment and structured learning very effectively, with teachers and students working well together to achieve course aims. Technology is regularly used to enhance learning. In a minority of instances lessons are only satisfactory, often with too little variety in student activities.

Good assessment helps students to know how they are progressing in their course, and in the majority of cases to know what they need to do to improve. In a few areas, some students are not sufficiently challenged to raise their performance to fulfil their full potential, nor are they set clear targets in their progress reviews. Additional learning support in classes effectively aids students' success.

Initial assessment identifies those needing additional support and tutors and learning support assistants generally work well together to help these students to make good progress. The provision meets the needs and interests of learners well. The college offers courses and qualifications from entry to higher levels and in subjects that meet learners' and employers' needs.

It provides a wide range of additional courses and activities to enhance students' learning and experience and prepares them for life beyond college. However, in some areas, employers are not sufficiently involved in helping to review the progress of their apprentices. The college is an outstanding partner and brings great benefit to its learners and the wider community.

It is well established as a significant provider and business in the region. It works particularly productively with a wide range of employers, schools, community and voluntary groups and public sector organisations to raise ambition and promote economic regeneration in the region. Care, guidance and support for students are good.

Students are well cared for by their tutors. Tutorial provision successfully develops students' personal, academic and employability skills. However, some tutors do not set sufficiently challenging or specific targets for learners to enable them to make best progress.

Leadership and management are good. The Principal, senior staff and governors managed the merger of the two former colleges successfully to create a unified college to which staff are committed. They provide clear strategic direction and make a strong contribution to the local community through their inclusive policies.

Value for money is good. Arrangements for safeguarding are outstanding. The comprehensive single central register records Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks and other relevant information well.

All staff and governors receive relevant training and the awareness of safeguarding issues is high. Learners feel very safe in the college. The promotion of equality and diversity is good.

No gap in achievement exists for any group of learners. Very good work is carried out to widen participation of the local community in education and training, particularly for vulnerable groups of learners. However, equality and diversity are not promoted consistently in teaching sessions.

Staff treat the views of students, parents and employers very seriously and respond to their feedback quickly. Courses have elected student representatives to present their views, but sometimes they do not meet frequently enough with the staff responsible for their course. Quality assurance procedures are robust and have led to improvements in the quality of teaching and learning and students' outcomes.

The self-assessment process broadly identifies strengths and areas for improvement accurately.

Information about the provider

1. PETROC is a large general further education college that was formed in August 2008 when North Devon College and East Devon College merged.

This is the first inspection of the merged college. The two former tertiary colleges presented contrasting pictures. North Devon College, with its main campus in Barnstaple, was a large and successful college.

East Devon College was much smaller, had its main campus in Tiverton and was usually judged to be satisfactory when inspected. PETROC now serves a very large swathe of Devon from the south-east coast, through mid Devon and along the northern area of the county into north Cornwall and Somerset. This presents the college with a range of challenges, including ensuring access to its provision in an area where transport links are often poor, and serving the many areas of rural deprivation within its catchment area.

2. The college offers provision across all the subject areas, although it has only very small provision in agriculture. It has a large cohort of full time 16- to 18-year-olds studying on vocational and GCE AS- and A-level courses at both main campuses.

It has sites on a business park in Barnstaple and operates a Skills Centre in Holsworthy. Approximately equal numbers of male and female students study at the college. Few students come from a minority ethnic heritage, which refects the local communities.

3. PETROC works with many schools across the counties that it serves, some with sixth forms. In Tiverton, the college shares a campus with Tiverton High School.

Generally, in mid and east Devon, many more schools have sixth forms and students also have the option to travel to other colleges in Exeter and Taunton. 4. The college works with many employers across the area.

The overwhelming majority of these are micro or small businesses. Programmes are taught at both main college campuses and on employers' premises and include apprenticeships, workplace learning and bespoke vocational training. 5.

The following organisations provide training on behalf of the college: The Academy of Music & Sound (music) Budehaven School (GCE A and AS psychology) CTA Ltd (plant operations) Rutherfords Training Consultants (NVQ programmes in spectator safety) Strands Hair Academy (hairdressing) Torridge Training Services (Princes Trust Awards) Ultimate Hair Academy (hairdressing and beauty therapy). Type of provision Number of enrolled learners in 2010/11 Provision for young learners: 14 to 16 Further education (16 to 18) Foundation Learning 378 part-time learners 3,513 full-time learners and 550 part-time learners 573 full time learners and 128 part-time learners Provision for adult learners: Further education (19+) 318 full-time learners and 2,766 part-time learners Employer provision: Train to Gain Apprenticeships 4,864 learners 634 apprentices Adult and community learning 589 learners Summary report Grades: 1 is outstanding; 2 is good; 3 is satisfactory; 4 is inadequate Overall effectiveness of provision Grade 2 Capacity to improve Grade 2 Grade Outcomes for learners 2 Quality of provision 2 Leadership and management 2 Safeguarding Equality and diversity 1 2 Subject Areas Health and social care 2 Science 1 Construction 2 Hospitality and catering 3 Visual arts 2 Overall effectiveness 6. PETROC is a good college with several outstanding features, including its provision in science.

It makes an important contribution to the economic and cultural life of the communities it serves. Leaders and managers have raised standards well over the last four years while also merging the two former colleges effectively. The college provides good value for money.

Students who attend college and apprentices in the workplace make good progress and success rates are around or above national averages for similar colleges. Success rates for GCE A- and AS-level subjects generally match those for sixth form colleges. In a few apprenticeship programmes and a few intermediate level courses, success rates have declined and are now below national averages.

Students feel safe and safeguarding arrangements are outstanding. Students make strong contributions to local charities and voluntary organisations. Teaching and learning are good and in some subjects, such as science, they are outstanding.

Students are generally kept well informed about their progress, although some of their progress reviews do not contain enough specific targets to help them to improve their work. The college is an outstanding partner and works well with schools, community groups and employers. Governors and senior managers set a clear direction for the college.

Quality assurance is comprehensive and the self-assessment report accurately identified the strengths and areas for improvement; however, it was overgenerous in its grading. Equality and diversity are promoted well across the college, but not always consistently well in lessons. Main findings Students generally make good progress and complete their courses successfully.

Success rates have improved well over the last three years, both on college-based courses and on apprenticeship programmes. They are now at or above national averages for similar colleges. A few intermediate level courses and a few apprenticeships have lower success rates.

The large cohort of students studying GCE A and AS subjects achieves results that are comparable to the high national averages seen in sixth form colleges. Students' work is generally of a good standard. Many of the students have good written and number skills and where these are weaker they improve well with the additional support students receive at the college.

Many achieve good results in their functional skills examinations. A high percentage of students progress into further study or employment. Students contribute a great deal to the life of the local community.

They learn effectively about economic and social aspects of working life through work experience. Their organisational and leadership skills are well developed through these programmes. They have good support to help them to develop healthy lifestyles and they respond to these well.

Students feel safe and have high regard for college staff, who they see as friendly and supportive. Teaching and learning are good. Most lessons combine enjoyment and structured learning very effectively, with teachers and students working well together to achieve course aims.

Technology is regularly used to enhance learning. In a minority of instances lessons are only satisfactory, often with too little variety in student activities. Good assessment helps students to know how they are progressing in their course, and in the majority of cases to know what they need to do to improve.

In a few areas, some students are not sufficiently challenged to raise their performance to fulfil their full potential, nor are they set clear targets in their progress reviews. Additional learning support in classes effectively aids students' success. Initial assessment identifies those needing additional support and tutors and learning support assistants generally work well together to help these students to make good progress.

The provision meets the needs and interests of learners well. The college offers courses and qualifications from entry to higher levels and in subjects that meet learners' and employers' needs. It provides a wide range of additional courses and activities to enhance students' learning and experience and prepares them for life beyond college.

However, in some areas, employers are not sufficiently involved in helping to review the progress of their apprentices. The college is an outstanding partner and brings great benefit to its learners and the wider community. It is well established as a significant provider and business in the region.

It works particularly productively with a wide range of employers, schools, community and voluntary groups and public sector organisations to raise ambition and promote economic regeneration in the region. Care, guidance and support for students are good. Students are well cared for by their tutors.

Tutorial provision successfully develops students' personal, academic and employability skills. However, some tutors do not set sufficiently challenging or specific targets for learners to enable them to make best progress. Leadership and management are good.

The Principal, senior staff and governors managed the merger of the two former colleges successfully to create a unified college to which staff are committed. They provide clear strategic direction and make a strong contribution to the local community through their inclusive policies. Value for money is good.

Arrangements for safeguarding are outstanding. The comprehensive single central register records Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks and other relevant information well. All staff and governors receive relevant training and the awareness of safeguarding issues is high.

Learners feel very safe in the college. The promotion of equality and diversity is good. No gap in achievement exists for any group of learners.

Very good work is carried out to widen participation of the local community in education and training, particularly for vulnerable groups of learners. However, equality and diversity are not promoted consistently in teaching sessions. Staff treat the views of students, parents and employers very seriously and respond to their feedback quickly.

Courses have elected student representatives to present their views, but sometimes they do not meet frequently enough with the staff responsible for their course. Quality assurance procedures are robust and have led to improvements in the quality of teaching and learning and students' outcomes. The self-assessment process broadly identifies strengths and areas for improvement accurately.