BLACKPOOL AND THE FYLDE COLLEGE CORPORATION BOARD QUALITY & STANDARDS COMMITTEE Minutes of a Meeting held on 2 December 2014 Present: Helen Broughton (Interim Chair) Peter Lloyd Carolyn Mercer Anne Parmley Linda Smith In Attendance: Catherine Hill, Deputy Principal Simon Hughes, Director of Quality & Standards Cheryl Dunn, Director of HE (items 1-4) Lesley Venables, Interim Clerk to the Corporation 1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE/APPOINTMENT OF TEMPORARY CHAIR Apologies for absence were received from Neil Farley (External Governor) and Bev Robinson (Principal). In the absence of the former, it was agreed that Helen Broughton should be appointed as the Chair for this meeting only. 2. MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 14 TH OCTOBER 2014 Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting held on 14 th October 2014 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair, subject to a minor amendment in minute 14 ( reviewers rather than inspectors ). 3. MATTERS ARISING a) At the previous meeting the Deputy Principal undertook to check the progress as to whether the facilities at the nearby Rossall School could potentially be used for evening and recreational activities. Governors were advised that this facility was already in use by the College. b) Management had been asked to investigate fully the reasons underpinning the weaker performance in success rates for Maritime Studies (minute 21). The Deputy Principal explained that this was due to a mismatch in the timing of student enrolments, due to their employment patterns, and the reporting structures of the Funding Council. Further analysis had indicated that, in fact, the number of expected and actual completions were in line with previous years. 1
4. HIGHER EDUCATION SELF EVALUATION DOCUMENT (SED) 2013/2014 The Director of Higher Education presented the College s Higher Education SED for 2013/2014. The Committee was advised that this meeting was the first time that both this item and the College Self-Assessment Report for 2103/2014 had featured on the same Quality & Standards agenda. It was noted that the draft SED had not yet been submitted to the HE Academic Board, which formed the College s approving body. The content of the HE SED was structured under the framework of the Quality Code, the purpose was to provide an institutional level review of HE at B&FC. Governors were advised that each programme area and school had prepared information that fed upwards to the overall action plan. It was important to bear in mind that the SED would have a number of external and internal audiences and it had been written on this basis. Governors discussed the format and detail included in both the HE SED and subsequently the SAR and asked that during the Board Annual Planning Forum in January 2015 some discussion be included to discuss this further. The Director of HE confirmed:- o Standards are secure, with external examiners providing confirmation of parity and quality o Student feedback continues to reflect clear satisfaction with teaching and learning, across a range of mechanisms and whilst the overall satisfaction rate fell by 2% there are an outstanding 11 programmes with 100% satisfaction o Retention, achievement and success have increased in 2013-14 o Awards are either consistent with or higher than those achieved in the previous year External examiner reports had been fed into the College s quality processes. The Committee were assured that for every area that required improvement there was a robust action plan, which was rigorously monitored by management. Governors commented that no reference had been made in the SED as to why applications had reduced in some areas and what corrective actions had been implemented. The Director of HE advised that further work and analysis had been conducted through commissioned work and via the UCAS Track service. There was a separate HE specific action plan linked to addressing the decline in applications. The Deputy Principal rejected the idea that any staff had been made redundant as a result of falling applications in some curriculum areas. Staff expertise and skills are vital to any new developments, particularly in relation to building relationships with employers. All Schools have links with employers, for example in Society, Health and Childhood Studies applications 2
were buoyant and there was a high degree of progression into jobs amongst students. It was vital that the College kept its curriculum fresh and encouraged learners employability skills. Committee members asked whether an analysis of the College s competitors had been undertaken. Management reported that this was the case and governors were reminded that the full Board had been assured that action had been taken to stem the relative decline in applications. As a result of lower than anticipated levels of enrolments, there would be additional recruitment activity during January 2015 in the Schools of Society, Health and Childhood Studies and Engineering & Computing. The Director of HE was asked to quantify the statement made in the SED about feedback to learners on their assignments being prompt. The usual period was within 15days, as set out in the College s Student Charter. Focus group meetings were held to follow-up any issues, but it was noted that student perceptions in this area could be extremely subjective. Resolved - That the HE SED be noted and that a number of further amendments be made to the content for clarification and to ensure that all targets were SMART. Cheryl Dunn left the meeting 5. SELF-ASSESSMENT REPORT 2013/2014 The Director of Quality & Standards presented the draft Self-Assessment Report for 2013/2014. This had been based on the results of the Ofsted inspection in 2013, which had graded the College as outstanding. Performance levels had been measured against both the national benchmark and the top 10% of further education colleges in the country. The performance evaluation in SAR was based on the Common Inspection Framework and the Ofsted Handbook. It was no longer a regulatory requirement to prepare a SAR, but management had felt that it provided a useful assessment tool. Overall Long success rates placed the College in the top 20%, with a slightly better performance for 16-18 year olds (top 15%) and a worse result for the 19+ cohort (top 50%). Comparative data for 16 colleges in the North West region indicated that Blackpool & The Fylde College was 3 rd for overall Long success rates and for 16-18 and 6 th for 19+ learners. Governors were advised that the national measurement of value added for the College was significantly positive for vocational programmes, but not as strong for A Level courses. 3
Progression to positive destinations was approximately 90%, which was a healthy position compared to other colleges. The Deputy Principal reported that the Government expected all colleges to know the destinations of their learners for up to 3 years after they had left, the cost of which was funded by colleges themselves. A total of 71.4% of the College s provision had been assessed as outstanding. Formative assessments were now a key focus and the College aimed to have no student more than 2 weeks behind with their workload. Risk Management processes had identified that certain courses could be at risk due to falling enrolments, together with not meeting expectations on the quality of the learner experience. The Director of Quality & Standards confirmed that any such issues were monitored by the College s curriculum review process. Maths and English delivery at GCSE or the equivalent was now a Government priority for FE colleges. A total of 37% of all GCSEs achieved by College students were grades A* to C, against a national average of 38%. Governors noted that in 2015/2016 16-18 year old students who had not achieved a Grade A*-C in English and maths were required to follow relevant qualifications in English and maths to secure a Grade A*-C at GCSE during their time at College. The College was attempting to build capacity amongst its staff to deliver English and Maths and had been highly successful in Functional Skills results (86% against the national average of 70%). The Committee asked that the College s relative position amongst local schools and colleges be circulated for information. Clarification was sought on a number of statements in the Report, such as the use of the Ofsted definition of good when grading a particular school. Additionally, the Committee questioned whether some of the targets were realistic or were actually aspirational, particularly where these had not been achieved in 2013/2014. Management responded that they believed the targets were achievable but that staff would have to work in different, more efficient ways, to deliver the requisite outcomes, in some circumstances The Committee were advised that monitoring of the grade 3 areas in the reports was conducted through monthly meetings with academic managers with the Deputy Principal and the Director of Quality and Standards. These intensive care meetings were focused on ensuring the areas were supported with their improvement strategies. Governors were reminded that this approach had been very successful in Computing, Sport, and Hair and Beauty. Following discussion on the respective roles of governors and managers under the Carver model, the Clerk suggested that a summary of these responsibilities could be provided at the Board Strategy Days in January 2015. 4
6. ANY OTHER BUSINESS There was no other business. 7. DATE OF NEXT MEETING The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 17 March 2015. 5