Orkney College UHI
6 June 2014
A report by HM Inspectors
on behalf of the
Scottish Funding Council
Summary report
The external review process
HM Inspectors undertake an independent review of the quality of provision in Scotland’s
colleges on behalf of the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council (SFC)
under a service level agreement between the council and Education Scotland. External
review teams include HM Inspectors, associate assessors and a student team member.
The review took place in accordance with the protocol on quality assurance of University
of the Highland and Islands Millennium Institute and the SFC-funded colleges which are
academic partners of UHIMI (March 2009). Under this protocol, which was agreed by
SFC, Education Scotland and the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, the
review focused solely on Further Education (FE) provision.
During external reviews, members of the review teams observe learning and teaching
and hold discussions with learners, staff and stakeholders. They consider information
on learner attainment and evaluate learner progress and outcomes. They meet with
members of the Board of Management and obtain feedback from community groups,
partners and employers who work with the college.
The purpose of this report is to convey the main outcomes arising from the external
review, to acknowledge the college’s strengths and to provide a clear agenda for future
action to improve and enhance quality.
This external review results in judgements of effective or limited effectiveness or not
effective that express the external review team’s overall evaluation of high quality
learning, learner engagement and quality culture.
The report also uses the following terms to describe
numbers and proportions:
almost all
most
majority
less than half
few
over 90%
75-90%
50-74%
15-49%
up to 15%
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Contents
1.
Page
Introduction
1
The external review
1
2.
The college and its context
2
3.
Outcomes of external review
Judgement of Effectiveness
3
Section A:
Section B:
Section C:
Section D:
Section E:
Overarching judgement
Supporting statements
Areas of positive practice
Areas for development
Main points for action
3
3
4
5
5
4.
Signposting excellent practice
6
5.
What is an overarching judgement?
7
6.
What happens next?
9
7.
Further information
9
8.
How can you contact us?
10
Appendices
11
Glossary of terms
The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework
11
12
1. Introduction
The external review
The external review by Education Scotland took place during the week beginning 24
March 2014.
We examined learning and teaching and other important activities that impact on the
quality of the learner experience. We evaluated these against the three key principles
of high quality learning, learner engagement and quality culture, using the 13 reference
quality indicators (QI) outlined in External quality arrangements for Scotland’s colleges,
updated August 2013. We also included QI 2.2 to support our evaluations. We used
information from previous visits to the college to decide the scope of the review.
We found one example of excellence which we describe in this report on page 16.
The external review team talked with learners, staff at all levels in the college, the Chair
of the College Management Council, employers, external agencies and other users of
the college.
1
2. The college and its context
In carrying out the external review of Orkney College UHI, Education Scotland took the
following college context fully into account.
Orkney College UHI is a small college, operating in an island community (population
21,000) which is both rural and predominantly agricultural. The college is the main provider
of both further and higher education in Orkney, the latter provided through the University of
the Highlands and Islands (UHI) of which the college is a very active partner. The college
is based primarily in purpose-built accommodation in Kirkwall with a campus housing
Maritime Studies located in Stromness. The Trowel Trades building, designed to support
the construction industry, was completed in 2009. The college delivers some programmes
to learners on the smaller islands through partnership with the islands’ schools and
community groups. It provides a wide range of programmes, including a range of short
courses for businesses and longer-term vocational training for employed people.
Orkney College UHI is one of very few in Scotland that are not incorporated, with
responsibility for further education being vested in Orkney Islands Council. Governance of
the college falls within the remit of Orkney Islands Council. Matters affecting the college
are referred by Orkney Islands Council to the College Management Council, which is a
sub-committee of Orkney Islands Councils Education, Housing and Leisure Committee.
The college is funded by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) for further education (FE)
provision which is delivered through the Highlands and Islands Regional College and the
UHI. Orkney College works within both the further and higher education (HE) sectors. The
current teaching profile is approximately 60% further education and 40% higher education
activity.
The Orkney economy has traditionally depended on agriculture and fishing, although recent
years have seen significant diversification. Farming and tourism sectors are currently the
main industries of Orkney. Renewables is a key growth sector, with Orkney leading the
way in tidal and wave energy. Tourism, hospitality, construction and the service sector are
key areas of economic activity in Orkney and the college aims to provide programmes to
support learners in each of these areas. Employment in Orkney has generally remained
high despite the impact of global recession. A particularly hard-hit sector has been
construction where there has been a noticeable reduction in apprenticeship numbers over
recent years. The college has diversified its provision in this area providing full-time
construction training opportunities for young people and up-skilling programmes for existing
workers.
In 2012-13, the college enrolled around 80 full-time FE learners and 2,747 part-time FE
learners, delivering 5,032 weighted student units of measurement (WSUM) of learner
activity in FE. The college revenue budget for 2012-13 was £4.4m, with grant-in-aid from
the SFC accounting for about 31% of the total.
2
3.
Outcomes of External Review
Judgement of Effectiveness
Section A: Overarching judgement
Orkney College UHI has in place effective arrangements to maintain and enhance
the quality of its provision and outcomes for learners and other stakeholders.
This judgement means that in relation to quality assurance and enhancement the
college is led well, has sufficiently robust arrangements to address any identified
minor weaknesses, and is likely to continue to improve the quality of its services for
learners and other stakeholders.
Section B: Supporting statements
Learner progress and outcomes
Almost all learners successfully complete their programmes and progress on to
positive destinations. Successful completion rates for full-time FE programmes
compare favourably with the national sector performance and for part-time FE
programmes compare very favourably. These successful completion rates are
amongst the highest in the sector. Almost all full-time learners progress to further
learning or employment, with college staff aware of the progress and destinations of
their learners. Learners have high levels of achievement in core skills within
programmes. However, the contextualisation of core skills in discrete core skills
units is insufficiently developed. The college has strong links with local schools and
offers a range of programmes and activities to support pupils and underpin
successful progression. The college offers a wide range of FE programmes from
SCQF level 2 to level 6. Almost all learners progress well, enjoy the programmes,
gain vocational skills, and complete appropriate qualifications to enhance their
employability.
Learning and teaching processes
The college offers a wide range of programmes and specialised courses informed
by strong local partnerships, which meet the needs of learners and employers well.
Most teaching staff plan for the development of a range of learner skills and build on
the principles of Curriculum for Excellence to support learners. However, staff use
an insufficiently wide range of teaching approaches to promote fully effective
learning. In theory classes, most learners do not reflect sufficiently on their
learning. Strong staff and learner relationships build trust and confidence which
contributes to high levels of attainment and encourages learners to attain their full
potential. All learners are confident expressing their views which lead to actions to
improve their learning experience. All teaching and support staff provide a
comprehensive service to support learners who readily acknowledge the quality of
3
this support. However, the evaluation of feedback and performance information in
self-evaluation reports is limited.
Learner engagement
Learners have positive and supportive relationships with staff and feel able to
influence their college experience. Learner engagement is supported well by the
college. Overall, learners actively contribute to planning and shaping their own
learning. Staff encourage learners to provide feedback about learning and teaching
and are responsive to their views. Student representatives are actively involved in
contributing suggestions for improvements to college services. There is a
developing culture of wider learner engagement at college level. Learners engage
in a range of activities that enhance the life and work of the college and develop
their skills, including work experience and charity events. However, the Student
Representative Forum is still developing and is not yet fully effective in providing a
coherent focus for engaging learners fully in enhancing the life and work of the
college.
Leadership and Quality Culture
The college strategic plans are clear and are used well by managers to clarify and
monitor priorities. The college works productively with a range of key stakeholders
to enhance opportunities for learners. School pupils benefit from well-planned
programmes and vocational areas take good account of employer needs. Strong
partnerships support the college well to meet the needs of learners from across the
Orkney Islands. The college has a clear mission to ensure learners realise their
potential, and this is supported consistently by clear strategic and operational
objectives. Staff understand the college’s aims and are fully committed to their
achievement. Senior managers in curriculum and support areas lead their teams
well and staff across the college are committed to a culture of quality improvement.
Learners are represented on college committees and their views gathered and
acted upon. Staff engage in self-evaluation processes well. However reporting of
self-evaluation outcomes is not consistent across all areas and does not routinely
include robust analysis of performance indicator (PI) data.
Section C:





Areas of positive practice
The college has made improvements in withdrawal rates over the last three years,
with both full-time and part-time FE early withdrawal for 2012-13 being reduced to
zero.
Learners who complete their programme achieve well, with partial success sitting at
4% for full-time FE and 2% for part-time FE.
Successful completion rates for full-time FE compare favourably with the sector
performance levels at 81%, and compare very well for part-time FE at 97%.
The college has effective planning links with the local authority and schools, and
has a number of successful programmes which ease progression from school to
college.
Learners develop core and essential skills well.
4





Learners make good progress, produce high quality work and develop a range of
appropriate academic and vocational skills.
Staff and learner relationships are mutually respectful and encourage learners to
attain their full potential. They build trust and confidence.
Staff provide learners with appropriate support prior to entry. Arrangements are
made to customise programmes to accommodate learners’ individual needs.
All full-time learners have regular review discussions with a tutor and use these
sessions to update personal learning plans. Departments have adapted these
plans in different ways to meet the needs of their learners.
Most full-time learners participate in work experience with local employers as part of
their programme. This develops learners’ employability skills effectively and also
enhances the reputation of the college in its community.
Section D:





Areas for development
Many staff do not plan the promotion of equality and diversity to ensure consistency
of delivery in their learning and teaching.
Staff do not use a wide enough range of teaching approaches that promote
reflection and questioning techniques in formative assessment, and do not make
sufficient use of the virtual learning environment (VLE).
Staff do not analyse data sufficiently in self-evaluation processes, limiting its
effectiveness.
Arrangements for student representatives to feed back to their peers from course
review and student representative meetings are inconsistent and not yet fully
operative.
The student representative forum does not yet provide a coherent focus for
engaging learners fully in enhancing the life and work of the college. Arrangements
for representatives to feed back to their peers are not fully effective.
Section E:
Main points for action

The college should ensure that staff use a sufficiently wide range of teaching
approaches including the use of the VLE to promote effective learning.

The college should continue to develop self-evaluation processes to support
detailed analysis of PI data and improve the learning experience.
5
4.
Signposting excellent practice
During the Education Scotland external review, the college submitted examples of what
it considered to be excellent practice and the review team also identified an example
worthy of dissemination.
4.1 Excellent practice in recording achievement, attainment and progress
The college has developed an innovative tool for recording learner achievement,
attainment and progress, which reflects the approach to reporting progress used within
Curriculum for Excellence (Developing; Consolidating; Secure). The tool concentrates
primarily on the development of a learner’s skills rather than the recording of completed
units. Working together, staff and learners identify a set of vocationally-contextualised
skills for life, learning and work and these are added to the learner’s record. Learners
then track their progress towards secure attainment of each skill during regular reviews
with their tutor.
The record also reflects learners’ unit attainment and, importantly, their wider
achievements for example, through work experience. There is also space on the record
for learners to complete a personal analysis of their learning using the stop, start,
continue methodology and to set personal learning goals as a result. Across the
college, the tool has been adapted very effectively to suit the needs of different learners.
Staff used learner feedback well to identify the most useful format to support useful
discussion and reflection. For example, digital media learners use an online version
and learners whose learning needs are more complex use a visual, mind map version.
Learners find these approaches help them to set and monitor their learning goals and to
see their overall progress and they engage well with them. The tailored approach gives
them ownership of their own progress and helps them to be more fully aware of their
skills development. Having this tool has supported useful and focused discussion of
progress, and helped learners to be clearer about their priorities. The tool is also simple
and clear enough to facilitate thoughtful discussion about progress rather than use too
much time recording detail. The well-structured personal guidance and higher levels of
motivation resulting from the use of this tool have helped learners to have greater
ownership of their learning and has contributed to success.
6
5.
What is an overarching judgement?
Education Scotland uses an overarching judgement of Effectiveness to express the
findings of the review team. The judgement of effectiveness takes into account all the
evidence gathered through the external review. Such judgements express outcomes
as:
effective;
limited effectiveness; or
not effective.
This judgement is further detailed by supporting statements which substantiate the
judgement of effectiveness. Education Scotland evaluates and reports according to the
three key principles. In this report, the principles and supporting statements relate to:
Key principle 1 – High quality learning (supporting statements numbers 1 and 2)
Key principle 2 – Learner engagement (supporting statement number 3)
Key principle 3 – Quality culture (supporting statement number 4)
Judgements of effectiveness and supporting statements provide stakeholders with
assurances, or otherwise, about the quality of a college’s provision. These judgements
are based on trends and track record of a college, the findings at the time of the
external review, and the college’s capacity to continue improving.
A judgement of effective indicates that the college has in place effective
arrangements to maintain and enhance the quality of its provision and outcomes for
learners and other stakeholders. This judgement means that, in relation to quality
assurance and enhancement, the college is led well, has sufficiently robust
arrangements to address any minor weakness, and is likely to continue to improve the
quality of its services for learners and other stakeholders.
A judgement of limited effectiveness indicates that the effectiveness of the college’s
arrangements to maintain and enhance the quality of its provision and outcomes for
learners and other stakeholders is limited. This judgement means that there are some
strengths in the college’s arrangements for quality enhancement. However, there are
weaknesses in arrangements for high quality learning and/or learner engagement
and/or quality culture. If not addressed, the importance of these weaknesses will
continue to limit the effectiveness of the college’s arrangements.
A judgement of not effective indicates that the college’s arrangements to maintain and
enhance the quality of its provision and outcomes for learners and other stakeholders
are not effective. This judgement means that there are significant weaknesses in the
arrangements for high quality learning and/or learner engagement and/or quality culture.
There is a high probability that, without significant and comprehensive action, with
external monitoring and support, the college will fail to improve current low-quality
provision and outcomes to an acceptable level. Education Scotland does not have
evidence that the college has the capacity and commitment to identify and implement
effective and comprehensive action.
7
Scottish Funding Council response to judgements
If the overarching judgement is effective, the Council will expect the college to engage
with Education Scotland in follow-up activity, as appropriate, and, one year after the
publication of the review reports, to provide a report, endorsed by its governing body
(see Council guidance to colleges on quality from August 2012, paragraphs 62-66
SFC/13/2012 setting out its response to the review.)
If the overarching judgement is of limited effectiveness or is not effective, the Council
will require the institution to prepare and fulfil an action plan to address the
shortcomings identified (see paragraph 67 of guidance). Education Scotland will
provide advice to SFC on the adequacy of the action plan and on how it is being
implemented. SFC, taking into account any advice from Education Scotland, will
normally require a formal follow-up review at an appropriate time, usually within no more
than two years.
8
6. What happens next?
Education Scotland will continue to monitor progress during annual engagement visits to
the college.
There will be feedback to the learners at the college.
One year on from this report, the college will produce a report setting out what it has
done to address the main points for action and/or areas for development in the report
and other quality assurance and enhancement activities. There will be a link to this
report from Education Scotland’s website.
Dr John Laird
HM Inspector
7. Further information
The review and judgements relate to the college as a whole and do not provide
information about individual programmes of study or subjects. For further information
on these or any other queries, contact the college or look on its website
http://www.orkney.uhi.ac.uk/
For further information about Education Scotland, the external review methodologies, or
other information about reviews, see www.educationscotland.gov.uk
For further information about the Scottish Funding Council, see www.sfc.ac.uk
9
8.
How can you contact us?
This report has been produced as a web-only publication and is available on our
website at www.educationscotland.gov.uk. If you would like to receive this report in a
different format, for example, in a translation please contact the administration team on
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by telephone on 0141 282 5000, or e-mail: complaints@educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk or
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Crown Copyright 2014
Education Scotland
I
10
Appendix 1
Glossary of terms
FE
HNC
PI
QI
SCQF
SFC
UHI
VLE
Further Education
Higher National Certificate
Performance Indicator
Quality Indicator
Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework
Scottish Funding Council
University of the Highlands and Islands
Virtual Learning Environment
11
Appendix 2
The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework
The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework brings together all Scottish
mainstream qualifications into a single unified framework. The framework includes:
degree provision, HNC and HND, SQA National Qualifications, and SVQs. There are
12 levels ranging from Access 1 at SCQF level 1 to Doctoral degree at SCQF level 12.
Each qualification whether a unit, group of units or larger group award has also been
allocated a number of SCQF credits. Each credit represents 10 notional hours of
required learning. Doctoral degrees based on a thesis are an exception to this.
Other learning may be credit rated and included in the framework provided it leads to a
clear set of learning outcomes and has quality-assured learner assessment. All of
Scotland’s colleges were awarded SCQF Credit Rating powers in January 2007.
12