The Oldham College

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Information about this provider

Oldham College is a general further education college based in Oldham. The college provides a wide range of vocational and technical courses for students aged 16 and over. Students were enrolled on a range of courses in most subject areas.

These include business, health and social care, construction, hair and beauty, hospitality, English as a second language (ESOL), travel and tourism, sport and public services digital, English and mathematics.

At the time of the inspection, there were 2,875 16- to 18-year-old students on education programmes for young people. Students were enrolled on courses from entry level to level 3, with most young people studying courses at levels 2 a...nd 3.

The college offers T levels in the health, digital and construction sectors. Leaders work with one subcontractor, which provides facilities and coaching for sports learners.

There were 1,887 adult students studying courses from pre-entry to level 3.

Most adult students study courses in ESOL, English or mathematics. The next highest enrolments are on hair and beauty, construction and level 3 access to higher education courses.

There were 707 apprentices on programmes from level 2 to 4, of whom 364 were aged 16 to 18.

Most apprentices study at levels 2 and 3 with the highest enrolments in health, construction, horticulture and engineering.

There were 350 learners for whom the college received high needs funding. Three quarters of learners with high needs study vocational subjects.

The remaining learners follow skills for life courses to develop independence and employability skills.

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

Students on education programmes for young people do not benefit from a consistently high standard of education. In a few subject areas, young people do not take part in work experience placements early enough in their course or other worthwhile activities with employers.

This limits a few students' ability to link theory to practice and inform their thinking about their next steps.

Students and apprentices take part in a wide range of activities that develop their employability skills, confidence and resilience. They take part in skills competitions, sports clubs and social action projects in the community.

In public services, students have developed a garden to grow food for the local food bank. Students in art and construction are improving a local park by replanting flowers and building benches and picnic tables. Students on sports courses provide fitness sessions to support people in the community who have experienced domestic abuse, to help raise their self-esteem.

Students and apprentices become valued members of their community.

Staff create inclusive and respectful environments at the college. Students recognise each other's differences and take part in activities that celebrate the diverse community at the college.

Students in performing arts collaborate with students on ESOL courses to learn about their experiences of being refugees. Students created a performance about the refugee crisis to provide different views.

Leaders respond to the needs of the growing number of refugees and asylum seekers in the local community by providing curriculums that help students to learn the skills they need to live in their communities and gain employment.

Students on the ESOL interpreter course develop their understanding of medical terminology so that they can support people attending medical appointments.

Apprentices are motivated and keen to learn. They develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours that employers need.

Early years apprentices learn about different allergies and how settings manage this for their children. Electrical technician apprentices learn about customers vulnerabilities. They use this knowledge when visiting customers' homes.

For example, they take extra time to explain the work they are doing to elderly clients who may have dementia.

Students with high needs enjoy attending the college. They have an enthusiastic and positive approach to their studies, celebrating each other's achievements in class.

Students explain how they develop friendship groups and are welcoming to new students. They take part in a range of activities to develop their understanding of keeping mentally and physically healthy. Students learn how to make healthy choices by creating healthy pizzas and take part in self-help programmes where they learn how to manage their emotions.

Most students and apprentices develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours they need to progress to their next steps. Students on the T-level health course learn about the importance of infection control. They apply this safe practice on work placements by wearing appropriate personal protective equipment and carrying out correct washing procedures.

In media, students learn how to create effects using the Rembrandt triangle and three-point lighting. They use this knowledge to create professional music videos to emphasise emotions. Students on access to higher education courses develop their academic writing skills in preparation for university.

They structure essays correctly and use citations and referencing appropriately.

Students and apprentices feel safe. They value the 'speakers corner' where they benefit from talks about how to stay safe online and in the community.

Students and apprentices know to whom they should report any concerns, and they say that staff deal with incidents and concerns swiftly. They appreciate the 'zero tolerance' approach taken by leaders to any form of bullying, harassment or discrimination. In tutorial lessons, students and apprentices discuss a range of topics such as healthy relationships, risks of knife crime and risks associated with radicalisation and extremism.

Contribution to meeting skills needs

The college makes a reasonable contribution to meeting skills needs.

Leaders work collaboratively with stakeholders to understand local and regional skills priorities. They ensure that the curriculum offer aligns to the areas identified in the local skills improvement plan to meet the needs of the future workforce.

This includes health and social care, early years, construction and green skills curriculums. Leaders have worked with the local council and employers to develop cyber and digital courses and have received accreditation as a Cyberfirst gold college. Leaders are developing a digital mega hub to support schools in the borough.

They provide courses to young people to develop the digital skills that they need to progress to college and ultimately into employment in the digital sector.

Leaders have strong links with local authorities and mayoral combined authorities. They work with the local council to provide training for young people to reduce the number who are not in education, employment or training and enable these young people to join relevant courses or employment.

They provide a range of 'pathways' courses to re-engage young people back into education and identify students at risk through the 'connect me' programme. This helps young people receive the support that they need to develop the skills required to progress to further training or employment.

Leaders are developing stronger links with employers and key stakeholders to support the design and teaching of curriculums.

In the most successful courses, leaders co-construct curriculums to meet local needs, such as the introduction of the ESOL level 3 community interpreter course. Leaders have worked with employers in the health sector to tailor the programme so that students can support individuals in the local community effectively. In digital, employer advisory boards help the course team to plan their curriculum and respond effectively to skills needs.

They now include professional networking qualifications so that students can set up operating systems and create network architecture. However, this is not consistent across all curriculum areas. Stakeholders or employers are not sufficiently involved in the planning, design and teaching of courses for young people.

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

On education programmes for young people, tutors in a few subject areas do not consistently provide useful feedback that helps students improve their work. In GCSE English, a few students cannot recall the verbal feedback that they have been given. This means that they continue to make the same errors in their work.

Tutors in health do not provide sufficient feedback to support students to achieve merits or distinctions.

Most tutors of learners with high needs use information gathered on their education and healthcare plans to plan their lessons effectively and set students' targets. These targets are embedded in activities and lessons so that students continuously practise their skills.

For example, they practise holding eye contact with their peers or speaking in full sentences during group discussions. However, in vocational areas, tutors do not consistently implement effective support strategies. They do not use strategies such as 'time out' to support those students who experience sensory overload.

Tutors and assessors sequence most curriculums effectively. Students and apprentices develop their knowledge, skills and behaviours incrementally over time.Level 3 installation and maintenance electrician apprentices firstly develop their understanding of Ohms law and wiring regulations so that they can apply this learning confidently when conducting inspections, testing and fault finding in the workplace.

However, on a few courses for young people the curriculum is not planned effectively. In level 1 digital pathways, tutors do not design an ambitious enough curriculum that is well sequenced. Too many young people find the work that they complete too easy.

Digital tutors do not teach topics in a sensible order, which means that students do not develop a detailed understanding of the topics taught.

Tutors use carefully considered teaching strategies to develop students and apprentices' knowledge and skills. On level 2 motor vehicle, tutors use visualisers to show students how a car drive shaft functions.

They use interactive revision quizzes to prepare students for their examinations. Tutors on high needs courses routinely recap information to help students remember what they have learned. Students recap health and safety and explain why it is important to clean surfaces properly to prevent the spread of germs.

Tutors use assessment well to check adult students' and apprentices' understanding. They use questioning skilfully to identify gaps in learning to inform their subsequent teaching. ESOL students are challenged to reconstruct responses to questions to develop better grammar and sentence structure.

Students develop their speaking and listening skills quickly. However, too many tutors on courses for young people do not routinely check students' understanding in lessons. In GCSE English, tutors' use of questioning does not succeed in developing a few students' understanding or ideas.

Students are not given sufficient thinking time to develop their confidence in answering questions. This means that a few students do not make the progress of which they are capable.

Leaders are relentless in their drive to improve the attendance of young people, many of whom are vulnerable and face significant barriers to learning.

They have put in place attendance improvement strategies and recruited additional staff, such as youth workers, who carry out home visits and provide individual support to students. Leaders designed a transition programme and summer school for students who have not attended school or have experienced school exclusion to provide them with the support and skills they need to move into further education. They have improved the attendance of these young people considerably from when they were at school.

While attendance is improving markedly, leaders rightly acknowledge that they must continue to increase the numbers of young people who attend their lessons.

Most students and apprentices benefit from unbiased, well-planned careers information, advice and guidance. They attend careers fairs and progression days and hear from guest speakers from industry who talk about potential career routes.

Students applying for university receive support to complete personal statements. Performing arts students learn how to prepare for virtual auditions. Most students and apprentices are well prepared for their next steps.

Apprentices continue in employment, gain promotion or gain additional responsibilities at work. Adults and young people progress to a range of destinations, including further and higher education, training and employment.

Governors have recently recruited a new principal and senior leadership team.

Senior leaders have focused on creating a curriculum leadership team whose members share the vision and determination to provide high-quality education to the residents of Oldham. Leaders and managers have a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision. They have put actions in place to rapidly improve all the weaknesses.

For example, they have provided effective training to tutors on examination techniques, which has resulted in an improvement in first time pass rates on level 3 education programme for young people examined courses. Leaders have focused on developing tutors' feedback so that students know how to improve their work to gain merit and distinction grades. Where tutors have improved their feedback, students are achieving the grades of which they are capable.

Governors have experience and expertise in industry and further education. They use this expertise to provide support and challenge to senior leaders to improve the quality of education and training that students and apprentices receive. Governors receive accurate and honest reports from senior leaders, which means that they have an accurate oversight of the quality of education that students and apprentices receive.

They use these reports to challenge senior leaders to bring about improvements swiftly.

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.

• Improve teachers' use of assessment strategies on education programmes for young people to rectify misconceptions or gaps in learning so that students make at least the progress of which they are capable. ? Improve teachers' feedback following assessments so that students know what they need to do to improve their work and achieve merit and distinction grades where available. ? Improve teachers use of support strategies for students with high needs in vocational areas.

Also at this postcode