Salford City College

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Information about this provider

Salford City College (SCC) is a general further education college based in Salford, Greater Manchester. The college operates from six campuses located in and around the city of Salford in the northwest of England.

These campuses are Pendleton Sixth Form College, Eccles Sixth Form College, Worsley College, Future Skills, City Skills and Frontier House.

At the time of the inspection, there were 4,514 young people aged 16 to 18 years on education programmes for young people. Students were enrolled on a range of academic and vocational courses from entry level to level 3, in most subject areas, including T levels.

Just over half of young people study courses at level 3.... There were 130 students for whom the college received high-needs funding. There were 3,770 adult students studying courses from pre-entry to level 3.

Most adult students study courses in English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) at the City Skills campus.

There were 1,473 apprentices following apprenticeship standards from levels 2 to 7. Most apprentices study at level 3, with the highest enrolments in building and construction, professional services and health and care.

Leaders provide most training for young people at Pendleton Sixth Form College and Eccles Sixth Form College. Pendleton Sixth Form provides A-level courses in a broad range of subjects as well as vocational courses in creative arts, performing arts and vocational science. Eccles Sixth Form provides training in vocational courses in sport, business, health and social care and life sciences.

Most students with high needs study tailored courses to meet their individual needs at Eccles Sixth Form. These courses include developing independence, employability skills and community inclusion.

At the City Skills campus, leaders provide training for young people in construction.

Most adult students are based at City Skills campus studying ESOL from entry level to level 2.

At Worsley College and Future Skills campuses, leaders provide training for a small number of adults and young people on vocational courses. At Worsley College, adults and young people were enrolled on courses in beauty therapy, childcare, hospitality, hairdressing and health and social care.

At Future Skills, young people are enrolled on creative and digital courses. Adults study a range of courses including accounting, business and access to higher education (HE).

SCC works with seven subcontractors.

All subcontractors provide training for adult students in ESOL and a range of employability courses.

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

Staff create inclusive and respectful environments at the college. Students and apprentices understand the college's values and the importance of being kind, respectful, ambitious and hardworking.

Most students say they feel part of the college community and are very well supported. Staff set clear expectations for behaviour, attendance and punctuality. Most apprentices and students attend regularly.

However, in a small number of programmes for young people and adult evening classes, attendance is not high enough.Students and apprentices build their confidence and resilience because of the training that they receive. ESOL students improve their English skills so that they can confidently speak to teachers at their children's schools.

Operations or departmental manager apprentices manage their emotional responses in the workplace effectively when managing organisational change.

Most students and apprentices participate in a range of activities which includes skills competitions, visits to local museums and theatres and sports activities. ESOL students volunteer in the local community by picking up litter in the local park.

Carpentry and joinery students work with a local charity that supports homeless people. They talk with residents about their needs and have refurbished a community centre for residents to use. Students gain a better understanding of their local communities.

Students on education programmes for young people do not always benefit from ambitious or challenging courses. Teachers do not sufficiently consider information that they receive on what students already know and can do, or their intended destinations, when planning curriculums. Consequently, too many young people leave their courses early or do not pass their qualifications.

However, most students who do achieve progress on to positive destinations such as employment, apprenticeships or further learning.

Students with high needs value the inclusive environment at Eccles Sixth Form College. They access a wide range of opportunities such as taking part in table cricket and the Greater Manchester problem-solving competition.

They visit the Christmas markets and take trips to the theatre. Students learn to keep themselves healthy through regular exercise such as taking part in the college's football team for students with disabilities. As a result, they experience different cultures, explore their local area and learn how to keep healthy.

Apprentices develop substantial new knowledge, skills and behaviours. Apprentices become more independent at work and gain more responsibility. Adult care apprentices learn about the importance of body language when speaking to residents who have dementia.

They develop the confidence to change their tone of voice and adjust where they stand in the room so that residents feel comfortable. Bricklayer apprentices develop the skills to produce complex patterned walls and arches. They gain confidence and require less supervision in the workplace as their apprenticeship progresses.

Adult students are highly motivated and display positive attitudes to their learning. The majority of adult students learn new knowledge, skills and social behaviours that prepare them well for their next steps and improve their personal lives. For example, access to HE students develop their study skills in preparation for university.

Students studying in the community improve their communication skills through group activities. This helps them to integrate more confidently into their community.Students and apprentices feel safe across all the college sites and in their workplace.

They know who to report concerns to and say that staff deal with incidents or concerns swiftly. In most tutorial lessons, students and apprentices discuss a range of topics such as healthy relationships, consent and staying safe online. Students feel comfortable to talk to members of staff to seek support.

Contribution to meeting skills needs

The college makes a reasonable contribution to meeting skills needs.

Leaders work closely with stakeholders to identify accurately the priority skills required in the local area. They understand local and regional skills needs well and use this information to plan the courses that they offer.

For example, they work collaboratively with the Department for Work and Pensions and charities to support ESOL adults to integrate into their community. Staff assist ESOL students in seeking employment. However, the opportunity for adults to study higher-level courses, particularly at level 3, is limited.

Most courses are at entry level or level 1 and mostly in ESOL, English or mathematics. Leaders have identified a gap in adult provision at level 3 and have recently introduced new 'bridging courses' to prepare adults to progress on to higher levels of study.

Leaders have strong links with local authorities and mayoral combined authorities.

For example, they work with a local council to provide training for young people to reduce the numbers who are not in education, employment or training. Additional pathways in construction have been developed and a 'passport to college course' where students develop their English and mathematical skills. This helps young people to develop the skills required to progress on to further training or employment.

Leaders work in collaboration with employers and stakeholders from across the Greater Manchester region to understand current employment and sector skills needs. In the most successful courses, they develop curriculums to provide students and apprentices with the future skills they require to support the regeneration of the borough. Leaders co-construct curriculums to meet local needs such as the introduction of the highways maintenance apprenticeship.

In creative media, media executives help the course team plan their curriculum and respond effectively to changes in media production and consumption, such as the use of portrait video in social media. However, this is not consistent across all curriculum areas. Leaders do not involve stakeholders or employers sufficiently in the planning, design and implementation of a few apprenticeships and education programmes for young people.

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

Most teachers plan curriculums in a logical order. On community learning programmes, the subcontractor, the Broughton Trust, sequences the curriculum appropriately, beginning with an individualised programme for students which focuses on building their confidence and personal development. Students then progress to short courses such as an introduction to counselling.

This supports them to progress on to further study. Students on the access to HE social science programme begin learning about early social development of children, then progress to child and adolescent mental health issues before learning more complex concepts such as psychological perspectives.

Most teachers provide opportunities for students and apprentices to understand and develop their skills through discussion and class activities.

In GCSE English, teachers use mnemonics, writing frames and model answers to scaffold students' learning and help them remember more. Teachers of students with high needs adapt their activities to ensure that they are accessible to all students. For example, practical badminton sessions include using a balloon as opposed to a shuttlecock so that students with the most complex physical disabilities can develop their motor skills through activities.

On education programmes for young people, teachers do not use information gathered on young people's starting points to effectively plan their lessons. For example, in level 3 business, learners do not develop their foundational knowledge before they work on more complex examined topics. This means that too many students do not make the progress of which they are capable.

Most teachers use a range of recall and retrieval teaching strategies to recap prior learning and emphasise key information. In A-level psychology, teachers check learning through effective questioning techniques. Students use subject-specific technical language fluently and can recall studies and concepts learned.

For example, students explain the term 'mundane realism' when discussing the validity of experiments in the real world. In a minority of level 3 business administration sessions, apprentices complete learning independently. In these instances, trainer assessors do not check that those apprentices understand what they have learned.

A few apprentices do not remember key concepts and theories.

Most teachers and support staff plan lessons collaboratively to meet the support needs of their students. Teachers receive practical lists of potential adjustments to ensure that these learners make the expected progress.

For example, teachers break down instructions, simplify language and highlight key words. However, teachers and support staff do not always monitor students' progress against their education, health and care plans (EHC plan). As a result, a few learners do not make swift progress.

Leaders and managers do not ensure that teachers use effective assessment strategies. In education programmes for young people and level 1 ESOL, assessments do not always provide teachers with useful information on students' progress. Assessments used are not always appropriate to the level of study.

This means that too many students are not making the expected progress from their starting points.

Most teachers provide useful and developmental feedback that helps students and apprentices improve the quality and accuracy of their work. Access to HE students value the personalised feedback they receive.

They know what they need to do to achieve the grades that they need to progress to university. Musical theatre students improve their foot positions when carrying out pirouettes. They explain how they can make their characters more natural using imagery and relaxation.

However, a few students and apprentices do not always receive useful feedback. For example, creative media students do not know how to improve their evaluative and analytical skills in their written work. A small number of ESOL students do not always know how to improve their English language skills further.

This means that they continue to make the same errors in their work.

Students and most apprentices benefit from well-planned careers education, information, advice and guidance. They take part in careers talks, 'life after' college events and industry-specific careers fairs that are tailored to the subjects at each campus.

Students and apprentices take part in discussions about their long-term career aspirations and create action plans that are revisited throughout the year. For example, creative media students learn from television production executives about emerging careers in the media sector. Adult ESOL students benefit from visits from local employers to explain their recruitment process and gain useful tips about applying for jobs in industries such as hospitality.

Leaders prioritise staff workload and well-being. They respond quickly to staff feedback to reduce workload. For example, timetables are reduced to provide more preparation time.

Staff benefit from accessing a well-being portal which provides support for physical and mental health and well-being. Staff say they feel listened to and are proud to work at the college.

Leaders do not have in place sufficiently robust quality improvement systems.

They are not fully aware of all the weaknesses in the quality of education. In too many instances, they do not identify students at risk of falling behind early enough. The quality of education that students receive varies between courses and campuses.

Governance is not fully effective. Members of the board do not use the information provided by senior leaders to provide effective scrutiny and challenge on the quality of education. As a result, actions to improve the education that young people receive do not bring about swift improvements.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the provider need to do to improve?

• Review the curriculums for students on education programmes for young people to ensure that they are ambitious and challenging for all students. ? Improve assessment to ensure that all students and apprentices rectify misconceptions or gaps in learning and make the progress of which they are capable.

• Improve feedback following assessments so that students know what they need to do to improve their work. ? Improve the use of EHC plans for students with high needs to ensure they make swift progress. ? Strengthen quality assurance and improvement processes to improve the quality of education that students receive.

• Ensure governors provide effective scrutiny and challenge to leaders so that the quality of education improves