Long Road Sixth Form College

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Information about this provider

Long Road Sixth Form College is situated in the city of Cambridge. Leaders offer education programmes for young people predominantly at level 3, with 2,334 students studying at this level at the time of the inspection.

Currently, there are 109 students studying at level 2 and 50 at level 4. There are 49 students with high needs.

Leaders offer A levels and vocational courses at level 3 across all subject areas.

A significant proportion of students study a combination of the two. The largest subject areas include psychology, sociology, mathematics, English and biology. Leaders also offer a small number of GCSEs and level 2 vocational courses for students not yet ready... for a full level 3 course.

They do not work with any subcontractors.

What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Students behave exceptionally well and demonstrate high levels of mutual respect and tolerance. They value their differences and feel very safe at the college.

Students attend well. They concentrate in lessons and have a mature approach to their studies. They benefit from teachers who are quick to intervene to provide effective support when they need it and who prepare them extremely well for their examinations.

Most students achieve their qualifications, many on A-level courses at grade B or higher and on vocational courses at merit or distinction grades.

Students benefit from a well-planned careers programme. Those planning on going to university receive good support with the application process.

Those intending to go into employment or further training are well served by careers fairs and visits to apprenticeship providers. Students feel prepared for their next step, and most move on to their first-choice destination.

Teachers support students to develop their resilience and confidence rapidly.

Students benefit from the college VESPA (vision, effort, systems, practise and attitude) programme, which supports them to become more independent and take greater responsibility for their own progress.

Students with high needs have a seamless transition to college from their previous school. Teachers understand their particular needs extremely well and provide both the support and challenge they need.

Students with high needs make excellent progress from their starting points and achieve exceptionally well, often even better than their peers.

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

Governors, leaders and managers have high aspirations for students. Staff are excellent role models, exemplifying the behaviours that they expect.

As a result, the college is a welcoming, supportive and inclusive environment in which students thrive and achieve.

Leaders have improved the proportion of students who achieve their qualifications, and this is now high. The proportion who achieve a grade 4 or higher in GCSE English is exceptionally high.

Managers have planned a curriculum that is well sequenced, with frequent assessment so that teachers monitor effectively the progress students make They make good use of data to monitor students' progress and swiftly intervene where students fall behind or underperform. Teachers give thoughtful and helpful feedback so students know how to improve.

Teachers are well-qualified subject experts.

Many have relevant industry experience. They explain concepts accurately and clearly. This helps students quickly gain new knowledge and build their understanding.

Teachers provide suitable opportunities for students to practise skills and recall knowledge. For example, in A-level biology, students revisit respiration and circulation before they start a practical assessment on oxygen, which helps them plan and interpret their experiment.

Teachers provide students with very useful resources such as topic booklets, textbooks and revision cards.

Students use these well to support their classroom and independent learning. For example, in A-level mathematics, students benefit from online resources to consolidate previous work and find model answers that indicate how they should set out their solutions in the examination.

In a few subjects, teaching is not as effective as it is in the majority of areas.

In these areas, managers have not ensured that teachers use the time allocated to reflect upon, and improve, their teaching. These teachers do not check that students' understanding is secure. Students then carry forward misunderstandings or confusion.

For a small proportion of students, this means they do not make expected progress from their starting points.

Staff ensure that students with high needs and/or additional learning needs have the help they require to overcome any barriers to learning rapidly. Teachers begin their support before students join the college, so students start their course with confidence and a good understanding of the college environment.

Students then settle very quickly. Teachers have an excellent knowledge of students' education, health and care plans and consequently support these students extremely well. Parents and carers are rightly highly complimentary of the work staff do with their young people.

Leaders provide valuable and enriching experiences for students through visits, trips and guest speakers. Students gain new perspectives on their learning, for example visiting Singapore to learn about environmentally sustainable communities. Leaders also provide a broad range of opportunities for students to develop their interests and talents through sports teams, drama productions, the extended project qualification and a range of clubs and societies.

However, the proportion of students who participate is not high enough.

Staff develop students' understanding of equality and their appreciation of diversity extremely well. For example, teachers in level 3 applied graphics incorporate artists such as Emmett McBain as the first Black man in advertising in America.

Students demonstrate a good understanding of how to be active and responsible citizens.

Leaders have been less successful in promoting students' understanding of the dangers of extremism and radicalisation, which for a minority of students is vague or incomplete. Teachers also do not have sufficient focus on raising students' awareness of the local risks they may face such as county lines.

Governors have an appropriate range of skills and experience which they use to challenge and support leaders effectively. For example, the governor with safeguarding and mental health experience is the link governor for safeguarding and provides good support for staff responsible for the safety and well-being of the college community.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the provider need to do to improve?

• Support those small minority of subjects where teaching is not consistently to a high standard to improve rapidly so that all students make at least expected progress from their starting points. ? Increase the proportion of students who participate in the activities available to them outside their timetabled classes. ? Provide ongoing and improved training to students so that they develop a more thorough understanding of the dangers of radicalisation and extremism and a better awareness of how to keep themselves safe from local risks.

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