Barton Peveril Sixth Form College

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Information about this provider

Barton Peveril Sixth Form College is in Eastleigh, Hampshire. Learners come to the college from a wide area, including Southampton. At the time of the inspection, there were around 4,600 learners studying full-time education programmes for young people.

Eighteen learners were in receipt of high needs funding. The college offers a wide range of A levels and a smaller range of advanced level vocational programmes. Most learners study A levels, approximately a third study a combination of A levels with a vocational qualification and a relatively small number study just vocational qualifications.

The largest subject areas are science, mathematics and business.

What i...s it like to be a learner with this provider?

Learners feel safe at Barton Peveril College. They rightly recognise the sensible steps that leaders have taken to create a calm and purposeful environment that is strongly focused on learning.

Learners and staff are very respectful, and there is a high level of trust. As a result, most learners, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those with high needs, feel able to develop their own identity.

Learners enjoy their studies and make new friends while at college.

They are very motivated, have positive attitudes and work extremely hard to achieve their learning goals. They concentrate during lessons and contribute to discussion well. Learners use the time between lessons to extend their learning and rapidly become self-motivated, independent learners.

Consequently, the vast majority of learners pass their qualifications, often with high grades.

Learners appreciate and benefit from the extensive range of high-quality additional activities that staff provide for them through the college's Q-extra programme. Activities include those to further develop learners' skills and knowledge relevant to the subjects they are studying, such as creative writing, photography and counselling.

The Q-extra programme also provides activities that enable learners to explore existing or new personal interests, such as yoga, gardening and a wide range of sports. Learners with SEND, including those with high needs, are supported well to participate in activities, including radio broadcasting, emergency first aid and contributing to the student newsletter. Learners also take part in external competitions in areas such as mathematics, film making and economics.

As a result, learners grow and develop as individuals, acquiring new skills and confidence that prepare them well for life and work.

Contribution to meeting skills needs

The college makes a reasonable contribution to meeting skills needs.

Leaders have a clear understanding of local and regional skills needs, including the wider employability skills identified by the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and employers.

They have created a curriculum, including the Q-extra programme, that very effectively develops learners' personal and employability skills. Consequently, learners are prepared well to move on to higher education, an apprenticeship or work.

Staff work well with universities to ensure that the curriculum content and order is designed to support learners' progression to university effectively.

For example, staff on the creative digital technology programme include curriculum content to develop learners' ability to create texturing and unwrapping of 3D digital objects. This enables learners to create fully functioning 3D modelled games of the type studied in many university courses. Leaders collaborate closely with other education providers locally to ensure a well-planned curriculum that meets learners' needs in the area.

Leaders also work with local schools well to understand the needs of learners in the region. This enables leaders to put in place the right resources and support before these learners start at college.

Leaders involve higher education partners in shaping the content and ordering of the curriculum well.

This ensures that it prepares learners to study at university very effectively. Leaders rightly recognise that currently employers and their representative groups only make generalised, rather than focused, contribution to informing the development of the curriculum.

Leaders work with a wide range of stakeholders, including university staff, employers and charity representatives, who contribute well to teaching the curriculum.

Learners benefit greatly from the extensive range of guest speakers and visits to stakeholders. For example, learners took part in a research study at Bath University, considering learning and why we learn. Similarly, staff from local care homes visit learners on the extended diploma in health and social care to raise their awareness of the importance of safeguarding when working with vulnerable adults.

As a result, learners develop additional skills, knowledge and behaviours needed to study at university and for work.

What does the provider do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have high aspirations for learners to achieve and move on to university. They have implemented an ambitious curriculum that closely reflects the needs of learners and other stakeholders.

For example, learners on the extended diploma in health and social care complete a first-aid qualification that aids their employability. A-level history learners are taught about gay and lesbian history, in response to learners' interest. Subsequently, learners find the curriculum relevant and engaging.

Leaders have ensured that the curriculum is challenging while also being accessible. The college's Aspire programme successfully supports learners to go on to highly competitive courses at prestigious universities. Learners benefit significantly from a range of activities, such as mentors supporting them to prepare for interview and inspirational guest speakers.

Leaders have also created the Access+ programme to provide learners who face disadvantage with the additional support they require. As a result, they achieve the same success as their peers.

Leaders and teachers select the content of the curriculum very carefully and consider in depth how it is ordered.

They ensure that learners' skills and knowledge develop logically, building on what they already know and can do. For example, in A-level psychology, early in the programme, learners study mathematical skills and research methods. This enables them to develop their skills in mathematics, data handling and analysis, before applying them in their research.

Teachers are highly qualified subject specialists who plan interesting and engaging lessons. They model and demonstrate very effectively the skills and knowledge that learners need to acquire. For example, teachers on the extended diploma in engineering use online modelling systems to enable learners to understand the role of the different elements of a circuit.

Teachers create and use resources skilfully to support learning well. For example, teachers in A-level history create detailed course booklets that provide learners with fulsome information and activities. This resource also enables learning support assistants to provide targeted and purposeful support to learners with high needs.

Consequently, learners find their lessons interesting; they work hard and make significant progress, developing their skills and knowledge.

Leaders provide staff with a wide range of effective, evidence-based development activities that support teachers well to maintain and extend their teaching and subject knowledge. Recently, teachers have participated in activities to help learners understand how they learn and remember.

Teachers have successfully applied this in their practice. For example, in A-level English literature and language, staff use activities requiring learners to remember topics they have previously learned on a very frequent basis. As a result, learners have a very good recall and understanding of key technical terms, concepts and narratives.

Teachers use assessment very well to frequently check learners' understanding and support their learning. For example, in A-level history, learners value starter quizzes on key Russian and Soviet terminology that help them learn often difficult words and phrases. As a result, learners can recall key content securely and confidently, developing fluency within their subject over time.

Teachers also provide learners with useful and purposeful feedback so that learners improve the standard of their future work. In A-level psychology, teachers give learners feedback that develops their literacy skills. Teachers on the subsidiary diploma in popular music agree useful and clear targets with learners that help them know how to improve their theoretical and performance-based work.

Consequently, learners understand the progress they are making and produce work that is to a high standard.

Teachers provide learners with plentiful opportunities to consolidate and practise their skills and knowledge. For example, A-level photography learners apply the skills they have acquired in the use of aperture, creativity and exposure in workshops, where they achieve increasing fluency and confidence in their abilities.

Leaders do not ensure that teachers have access to sufficient information about high needs learners' social, emotional and behavioural areas for development. Too often, teachers are not able to fully contribute to supporting high needs learners to develop these essential wider skills. Consequently, this slows high needs learners' progress in developing their social, emotional and behavioural skills.

Leaders provide a very comprehensive range of activities, including tutorials, that enable learners to develop as confident, responsible and respectful citizens. Teachers provide interesting and relevant tutorials that equip learners well for life in modern Britain. Learners develop an appreciation of how to keep physically fit and the importance of caring for their emotional and mental health.

They learn to value the benefits of promoting a diverse society and appreciate the barriers that some people face, for instance due to disability.

Leaders have developed very effective processes to ensure the quality of the learners' experience, and they take swift and effective action when required. As a result, learners benefit from consistently high-quality teaching.

Leaders pay close attention to staff well-being. They have introduced marking days and proformas to help staff better manage their workloads. They also provide activities such as yoga and mindfulness to help staff maintain their well-being.

Consequently, staff feel valued and are positive in fulfilling their roles.

Governors work closely with leaders and share their high aspirations for learners. They use their relevant and wide-ranging expertise to support leaders to maintain the high standards found at the college.

Where appropriate, they challenge leaders to do better. For example, governors requested financial information be presented, including scenarios, which leaders addressed, enabling enhanced financial management.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Teachers talk to learners frequently about safeguarding, including keeping safe while online and the risks associated with radicalisation and extremism. They also ensure learners know how to access support, if needed. As a result, learners have a good understanding of how to keep safe.

Staff identify learners who are vulnerable, such as children looked after by the local authority. Student progress advisers are trained as safeguarding deputies and work closely with external agencies such as children's services. Consequently, learners get the help they need quickly.

Teachers discuss healthy relationships with learners so that learners understand appropriate behaviour and the importance of consent. Learners report that bullying and sexual harassment are not tolerated. They feel able to talk to staff and most are confident that they will be responded to appropriately.

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