Performance Guide 2009/10

Dudley College Performance Guide 2009/10 Things you might like to know about us.

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INTRODUCTION &

BACKGROUND Dudley College is a large general further education college situated in the Black Country Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. The college’s mission statement is: “Our mission: outstanding learning which develops skills, raises aspirations and changes lives” The mission is achieved through core values which are:

The college has worked hard to develop a culture of ‘High Expectations and High Achievements’ (HEHA) which is reflected through the following statements:

l Put the learner at the centre of all that we do. l Act with integrity and mutual respect. l Communicate clearly and openly. l Value each and every individual. l Recognise innovation and success. l Support and encourage team working. l Be a model of good equality and diversity practice. l To reduce the college’s impact on its environment.

l We have high expectations of learners because we have the ability to change learners’ lives and help them to build a rewarding future. l We have high expectations of colleagues because we can only transform our college with each others’ help. l We have high expectations of ourselves because we want to transform our college and create a place we can feel proud of.

The mission will be delivered through five key strategic priorities identified as a result of a strategic planning process that involved all staff and the corporation:

l We have high expectations of Dudley because we are proud to be part of this community as it faces the challenges of the 21st Century.

Priority one a culture of high expectations, high achievement.

l We have high expectations of the college because we want it to be the very best place in which to build our careers.

Priority two Towards an outstanding college.

Priority three Curriculum innovation.

Priority four Effective employer engagement.

Priority five Investing in our people.

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l We have high expectations of our environment because we want to be a good neighbour in our community and a wise steward of our resources.

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Introduction ICT provision for around 422 learners. Learning was delivered for 514 14-16 year olds.

In 2009-10 the college delivered over 20,000 qualifications to 11,000 learners. Of these learners, just over a quarter (28%) were 16-18 year olds, of which 56% were male. Of the 7,729 19+ learners, 52% were male. The learner cohort was made up of 73% white learners, with 27% from black and minority ethnic groups.

Dudley’s population is 306,600. Dudley has a ranking of 100 out of 354 for the highest levels of deprivation for England, which has worsened slightly since 2004.

Dudley’s unemployment rate at 9.6% is just above the national unemployment rate of 8.7%. Some 8.7% of the local population is from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

The college employs around 770 staff and is a major employer in the Black Country. It is one of the few colleges that have adopted the harmonised pay scale and has enjoyed good industrial relations with all recognised trade unions.

The college operates predominantly on four major campuses (The Broadway, Castle View, Mons Hill, Wolverhampton Street) with a small but increasing amount of provision taking place in Brierley Hill. A small amount of IT training is delivered in 2 specialist IT centres and IT courses were also delivered in 2 centres for visually impaired learners.

The college offers courses in all the sector subject areas, having delivered animal care programmes for the first time in 2009-10. The highest number of learners study preparation for life and work; engineering and manufacturing technologies; business, administration and law; construction, planning and the built environment; information and communication technology (ICT); and health, public services and care. The college has mainstream and community

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Many of these learners come from disadvantaged backgrounds. This is particularly evident in that 1,874 learners received an education maintenance award (EMA), representing 77% of this cohort. The disadvantage of this cohort is reflected in their relatively low points on entry scores and their low levels of literacy and numeracy.

The college is actively involved in employer engagement, working in some form with over 1000 employers during 2009-10. The provision offered to employers includes courses funded via the Train to Gain initiative, Apprenticeships and Advanced Apprenticeships over a wide curriculum range. Almost all of the college’s young apprentices enter with literacy and numeracy below the level of the apprenticeship framework they have chosen to follow. There is also a small but growing amount of provision that is commercially charged. The college is experienced at working with a range of partners, both on a franchise and a direct delivery basis. Strong partnerships exist with Universities and local schools and some collaborative work is undertaken with other colleges.

The college holds several externally accredited quality marks, eg Investors in People, Matrix, Customer Service Excellence, and began preparation for accreditation for Training Quality Standards towards the end of the 2009-10 academic year.

The college recognises, encourages and supports the independent Students’ Union by funding a Students’ Union President via the Union block grant and by employing a full time Student Development Officer to support the Union and the learner voice process.

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QUALIFICATIONS OFFERED

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SUCCESS RATES

The tables that follow show success rates over the last 3 years for young people, adults and employer based courses.

Young People

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Adult

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continued...

Employer Based

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learner destinations Young People

92% of the known results show a positive outcome (employment, education, etc). Over 250 of our young people went on to University and many have chosen to return to Dudley College to advance their studies.

Adults

The college’s impact on adults is also positive with around 84% of completers achieving a positive outcome.

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teaching grade profile The profile of teaching and learning is good in the college following sustained investment in training to improve the performance of all teaching staff. The level of ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ teaching is now better than the national average1.

Dudley College Teaching Observations 2009/10 Grades 1 & 2 Outstanding/Good

Grade 3 Satisfactory

Grade 4 Unsatisfactory

Total observed: 336

80%

19%

1%

National Average

79%

19%

2.2%

the quality of learners’ work The quality of learners’ work is good, recognised as a strength generally across the college via both the lesson observation process and external verifier reports. Teachers routinely use group and project work to enhance learning. Learners acquire high standards of practical skills in vocational subjects. Teachers pay attention to improving spelling, grammar and punctuation in written work.

National picture 2009-10 of 100+ institutions who submitted data to a collecting agency - Thames Valley University.

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DUDLEY COLLEGE Performance Guide 2009/10

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enrichment Enrichment opportunities provided by the college are good.

The enrichment programme was significantly expanded during 2009-10 providing a rich and varied range of opportunities including the Duke of Edinburgh Award, a Gamers Society, bhangra dancing and sports. 80% of learners agree that the ‘college has a good enrichment programme’. 82 gifted and talented learners were targeted for the REACH programme, significantly enhancing the opportunity to develop their potential.

care, guidance and support for learners The effectiveness of the care, guidance and support that learners receive in helping them to attain their learning goals is very good. Much information is available on the curriculum both in print and electronically and via a range of face-to-face opportunities. Connexions advisors are integrated members of the student services team.

Demand on guidance services is very high which is well met, evidenced by hugely positive client feedback. All full time and substantial part time learners are interviewed and initially assessed.

Induction processes are robust

and comprehensive though are managed better in some areas than others. The ‘at risk’ strategy has proved effective with 86% of learners who were supported by a mentor being retained. The college counselling service is well used by staff and learners. The learner voice strategy is well implemented with many courses being actively represented.

The Student Union is active and responsive and supports both learners and college management well. Targeted support for learners is good eg additional learning support, specialist support, administration

of Educational Maintenance Allowance, Learner Support Fund.

Parents/carers/guardians are informed of learners’ progress.

The reviewing of progress for work based learners is not uniformly applied across the college.

safeguarding The college is effective at safeguarding young people and vulnerable adults. All staff are trained at level 1 with appropriate front line staff trained at intermediate level. There is a designated Child Protection Officer who works closely with Dudley Children’s Safeguarding Board. The college has a well developed community cohesion plan and learners’ awareness is raised through participation in a variety of ‘staying safe’ workshops including anti-bullying and cyber safety. 90% of learners say they ‘feel safe’ at college. visit us online at: www.dudleycol.ac.uk

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equality and diversity The college’s approach to equality of opportunity is good. There is much evidence that the college effectively integrates all staff and learners and provides a safe, stimulating, supportive and welcoming environment. The ‘Hub’ provides easy access for learners with disabilities and/or additional learning needs and all estates have been physically improved where possible. Visible signs remind learners of what to do if they feel harassed or bullied and many activities/tutorial themes raise awareness of equality and diversity strands.

A full time equality and diversity officer is employed to promote equality and ensure that policies and procedures comply with legislation and good practice.

The monitoring of performance of different groups of learners is improving but is not yet routine across the college. 85% of learners agreed that they are ‘treated fairly and equally’. Detailed analysis confirms that ‘black’ and ‘asian’ learners perform as well or better overall than their white counterparts.

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meeting learners’ needs The extent to which the provision meets the needs and interests of users is good. The college has a comprehensive curriculum offer, a well qualified advice and guidance team and good quality literature and information. There are good progression routes from entry level to level 4/5 in most curriculum areas. Learners needing support are identified quickly though this is less effective for non-college based learners. Relationships with feeder schools are strong though fewer 16 year olds progress to the college than would be expected. Community needs are met through a varied approach including both partnership and very localised delivery. Employers’ needs have been well met through the Train to Gain and Apprenticeship initiatives; 14 new programmes have been developed during 2009-10 specifically at the request of employers. 91% of learners agreed that ‘overall I am satisfied with my course/college’.

leadership and management Leadership and management are good. A culture of high expectations and high achievement is embedded across the college, demonstrated by the significant improvement in standards and business performance over the last three years. Senior staff provide a clear vision for the strategic development of the college. 2009-10 was a challenging year with two efficiency programmes arising as a result of financial constraints. However industrial relations remain good and staff satisfaction levels improved during 2009-10 and the newly developed staff development strategy has been well received. The average level of staff sickness fell during 2009-10. The mainstreaming of equality and diversity remains effective.

Safeguarding of young people and vulnerable adults has high priority in the college. The college’s financial performance is strong. The college has made significant progress on its ambitious estates development plans.

governance The effectiveness of governors in providing leadership, direction and challenge is good.

Governors are effectively engaged in developing the College’s mission and strategic direction. They have a clear understanding of the College’s approach to teaching and learning and standards and performance management. They are well informed about its risk management and financial management and health. They have overseen a financial strategy which has resulted in a good financial position in 2009-10 and a plan for an outstanding position in 2010-11. Governors have strengthened their links with strategic areas aligned with the CODP strategic priorities. They have a considered and detailed approach to their own development planning. Improvements to transparency were included in their development plan for 2009-10.

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Our mission: outstanding learning which develops skills, raises aspirations and changes lives.

Dudley College, The Broadway, Dudley, West Midlands DY1 4AS www.dudleycol.ac.uk | Tel: 01384 363 363

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