John Leggott Sixth Form College

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Information about this provider

John Leggott Sixth Form College is situated in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire. The college offers education programmes for young people, programmes for students with high needs and a very small number of courses for adults. At the time of the inspection, there were 1,525 students aged 16 to 19 following full-time study programmes.

Of these, 693 were studying A-level courses, 473 were studying a mix of A-level and vocational courses, and 413 were studying vocational programmes, including 99 at level 2. There were 19 adult students, mostly studying courses in English for speakers of other languages (ESOL). There were 34 students with high needs.

What is it like to be a lear...ner with this provider?

Students enjoy learning at the college. Staff create focused and disciplined learning environments where students can work hard and concentrate on their learning activities without distraction. Students behave very well and display positive attitudes to their learning.

They are respectful of each other and work cooperatively together. They listen attentively to the contributions of their peers and their teachers in class. Students are highly motivated and keen to build on their knowledge and skills.

Younger students, including those with high needs, attend well and arrive at lessons punctually and ready to learn. However, too many adult students do not attend their lessons.

Students value working in an inclusive environment where they can be themselves without fear of judgement and where there is mutual respect and understanding of individuality and difference.

Members of the LGBTQ+ community at the college feel valued and listened to. They know that staff will swiftly respond to any incidents of disrespect towards them.

Students enjoy attending a broad range of activities to develop their wider interests, such as playing basketball, participating in a chess club and playing games such as fantasy tabletop role-playing games.

Students are encouraged to instigate their own clubs and societies. For example, A-level biology students established a biology society and planned a trip for their peers to Paris. Students attend residential events to develop their confidence and their team-building and leadership skills.

They make a positive contribution to the local community by raising money for charities such as a local hospice and 'Cash for Kids'.

Most students are well prepared for their next steps. Adult students benefit from useful talks from employers about local job opportunities.

Students attend university open days and careers events, and they talk to employers about the skills, qualities and qualifications needed for their future careers.

Students on vocational and A-level programmes do not routinely benefit from work placements. Students with high needs on specialist provision and the supported internship have access to external work placements, including with the local authority, a local hotel and a supermarket.

However, in a few cases, work placements are not linked to students' long-term aspirations or interests.

Students feel safe and know how to report any concerns. Most students have a secure understanding of risks that they may face, including sexual harassment, child sexual exploitation and drug abuse.

Most students recognise the potential risks associated with radicalisation and extremism. However, a few students with high needs do not have a sufficiently well-developed understanding of these risks.

Contribution to meeting skills needs

The college makes a reasonable contribution to meeting skills needs.

Leaders and managers ensure that the curriculum is informed by local and regional skills priorities and is responsive to the needs of students and employers in Scunthorpe and the wider north and north east Lincolnshire area. Leaders work closely with local schools and universities to gather intelligence to support students' transition into college and to plan a curriculum that prepares students well for their next steps. They chair a range of well-established advisory boards, which include local and national employers, as well as universities, schools and representatives from the local authority.

Participation in these boards has resulted in changes to the college's curriculum offer and design. For example, following feedback from a speech and language therapist, the child language acquisition unit is now taught earlier on the English language A level to ensure that students gain sufficient understanding of this topic.

Leaders have implemented changes to the curriculum so that it better develops students' skills.

They have recently introduced an 'UpSkill' programme to ensure that students build, practise and refine the skills they need in readiness for their progression. Students attend weekly sessions that specifically focus on the skills they need in relation to their intended career. Guest speakers, such as journalists and paediatric nurses, attend the college to share their experiences of life in their area of work.

The 'Upskill' programme is still in its infancy, and it is too early to see its full impact across all curriculum areas.

Staff involve employers and industry experts in teaching and learning activities. In a few areas, staff make good use of this expertise to provide specialist talks and practical workshops.

For example, North Lincolnshire Council provided workshops to help students with high needs design and plant a flower bed as part of a local project. A local marketing company brings equipment into the college to show students specialist marketing equipment and how to use it. However, in most areas, stakeholder expertise is not yet fully utilised, as it is limited to talks from stakeholder representatives.

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

Leaders have taken decisive action to tackle declining student achievement on a number of courses. They have a clear focus on improving the quality of education in the areas of concern. Leaders identified patterns of concern for those students who left the college early and now carefully monitor attendance, retention and the quality of teaching in frequent meetings with middle managers.

Leaders changed the model of delivery and now teach lessons in shorter periods to help students retain and recall their knowledge and skills. As a result, on most of the courses that were a concern, more students are remaining on their programmes and achieving their qualifications. In a few cases, such as A-level biology, it is too early to see the impact.

Leaders have a clear curriculum intent and have developed an ambitious curriculum for young people that meets the needs of the local and regional economy. They offer a wide range of courses, and students can choose a purely academic route or a combination of academic and vocational qualifications tailored to their interests and aspirations. Most students are the first in their family with aspirations to progress to university, and they gain the knowledge, skills and confidence that they need to aim high.

Students with high needs study on A levels and vocational programmes, or on specialist provision, enabling them to develop the skills and behaviours they need to progress to adulthood. However, leaders do not have a clear strategic intent for ESOL provision for adult students.

Teachers are well qualified, with good specialist knowledge of the subjects they teach.

Most teachers use their expertise and effective teaching methods to develop students' knowledge and skills over time. Teachers routinely make use of retrieval practice, such as 'do now' activities, at the start of lessons to help students recall previous learning. For example, teachers task students in business to recall their knowledge of the basics of finance in readiness to complete a cash-flow activity.

A-level psychology teachers produce useful booklets that enable students to structure their notes and record learning accurately for use in future learning. As a result, most students confidently gain new knowledge and skills and are well prepared for internal assessments and examinations. A few teachers, however, use strategies that are not challenging, such as copying from textbooks.

A few teachers in the specialist provision for students with high needs cover too many concepts in lessons, which confuses students and does not help them to process new information.

Teachers have not planned ESOL courses well enough to meet the needs of adult students, based on their starting points. Leaders recognise this and have recently redesigned the curriculum to focus on the specific skills that students need to acquire.

It is too early to see the impact of these changes.

Leaders know that staff are struggling with their workload and well-being following recent changes made to working arrangements, such as leaders' focus on improving quality where it is has fallen below the expected standard. However, most staff feel valued because of the high visibility of leaders and managers and the frequent praise and rewards that they provide.

Most teachers enjoy their teaching and are motivated to improve their practice.

Most teachers check students' understanding effectively and identify and correct misconceptions. Business teachers use skilful questioning techniques to check students' recall.

When students cannot remember or answer incorrectly, teachers rephrase questions using memory hooks to previous tasks until students answer successfully. However, in very few instances, such as in A-level biology, teachers too often ask questions without sufficient waiting time and do not consistently follow up students' responses to address misconceptions.Teachers provide good support for students with additional learning needs.

They work effectively with learning support assistants to ensure that the focus of learning is clear. As a result, students are successfully supported to achieve their learning goals. Students with additional needs make better progress than their peers on vocational courses.

Most students achieve well. They secure positive destinations, including to higher education, degree apprenticeships and employment. Students with high needs on specialist provision progress to other courses at the college or the supported internship programme.

Most students on the supported internship programme progress to destinations that enhance the quality of their adult life. However, too few of these students progress to sustained, permanent employment. Too many adult students are not retained, and too many do not achieve their qualifications.

Teachers continue to develop students' English and mathematical skills in vocational and academic programmes within the context of the subject. A-level graphics teachers help students to learn about connectives so that they can use them well to construct sentences in assignments. A-level psychology teachers develop students' statistical skills so that they can better use research methods, such as correlations and graph work.

Leaders have an appropriate oversight of the provision and recognise what they need to do to improve. They have suitable quality assurance processes in place. Leaders track the progress that students make and ensure that managers set useful targets and priorities for their curriculum area.

They involve teachers in these plans and, as a result, there is a shared commitment to the success of each curriculum team. For example, attendance has been a focus for GCSE mathematics, and includes increasing early intervention with parents in the first term. As a result, students are clear about college expectations, and attendance has increased.

However, leaders do not have a clear oversight of the progress that adult students on ESOL courses are making.

Governance is effective. Governors are highly experienced in education and use their knowledge and expertise to challenge leaders to help shape the strategic direction of the college.

Governors and leaders are determined to ensure that the college remains an open-access provider so that all students in the area have access to an education that helps them to progress to their next steps. Governors understand the key strengths and areas that need to improve, such as in biology and mathematics. They challenge leaders effectively about issues such as retention and the quality of education provided.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the provider need to do to improve?

• Ensure that students studying A-level biology remain on their course and achieve their qualification. Improve the consistency and quality of teaching that students receive so that all students make the progress of which they are capable.

• Ensure that all students have the opportunity to access relevant work placement opportunities. ? Consider the strategic intent for the ESOL courses for adult students and ensure that the teaching on these courses is of a good quality. ? Ensure that all students understand local risks and have a sufficiently well-developed understanding of extremism and radicalisation.

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