Glasgow Kelvin College
27 March 2015
A report by HM Inspectors
on behalf of the
Scottish Funding Council
Full 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.
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
Page
1. Introduction
1
The external review
1
2. The college and its context
2
3.
3
Outcomes of external review
Judgement of Effectiveness
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
6
4.
How well are learners progressing and achieving relevant,
high quality outcomes?
7
5.
How effective are the college’s learning and teaching
processes?
9
6.
How well are learners engaged in enhancing their own
learning and the work and life of the college?
12
7.
How well does the college recognise and respond to changes
in its environment?
14
8.
How well is the college led and how well is it enhancing the
quality of its services for learners and other stakeholders?
15
9.
How extensive and effective are college partnerships with
communities, other learning providers, employers and
agencies?
17
10. Signposting excellent practice
18
11. What is an overarching judgement?
20
12. What happens next?
22
13. Further information
22
14. How can you contact us?
23
Appendices
Glossary of terms
The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework
24
24
25
1. Introduction
The external review
The external review by Education Scotland took place during the week beginning
19 January 2015.
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 outlined in External quality arrangements for Scotland’s colleges,
updated August 2013. We also included QIs 2.2 and 6.3 to support our evaluations.
We used information from previous visits to the college to decide the scope of the
review.
We found examples of excellence which we describe in this report on pages 18 and 19.
The external review team talked with learners, staff at all levels in the college, members
of the Board of Management, employers, external agencies and other users of the
college.
1
2. The college and its context
In carrying out the external review of Glasgow Kelvin College, Education Scotland took
the following college context fully into account.
Glasgow Kelvin College was formed on 1 November 2013, as a result of the merger of
John Wheatley, North Glasgow, and Stow Colleges. It is one of three assigned colleges
within Glasgow Region, the others being Glasgow Clyde College and City of Glasgow
College. The Glasgow Regional Board was established in May 2014, with the assigned
College Board of Management for Glasgow Kelvin College vesting in November 2014.
A framework which sets out relationships and responsibilities between the Regional
Board and the assigned colleges, including allocation of funding, is currently being
developed. The Regional Outcome Agreement for 2014-15 has been drawn up by the
three colleges working in partnership. To assist the Regional Board in its strategic
planning, the Glasgow Colleges Strategic Partnership, comprising senior staff within the
three assigned colleges and SFC representatives, has undertaken a range of review
and planning activities. These have included detailed analysis of key industry sectors,
likely future economic development and demographic factors in Glasgow, East
Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire. Resulting proposals include re-alignment of
activity levels across the colleges within the Region. Regional analysis confirms that
Glasgow has the highest level of deprivation in Scotland, and there is also a high level
of the adult population with low levels of qualification.
Glasgow Kelvin College employs around 670 staff. Following merger, the college
restructured staff roles to take account of the new operating environment. The college
has now completed the restructure of support services and academic management
posts. The college organises provision through five curriculum faculties, two teaching
centres, and a network of 25 learning centres. Provision is delivered from five
campuses across the North and East of Glasgow, with further work-based and
community provision delivered across a range of learning centres. The college delivers
programmes in almost all subject categories from level 1 to level 9 on the Scottish
Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF). In 2013-14 the college enrolled
approximately 15,392 learners with around 27% studying on a full-time basis. In the
current year approximately 45% of college enrolments are learners from the most
deprived datazone area. Seventy-one percent of learners are from the Glasgow local
authority area. Around two-thirds of learners are recruited with no previous
qualifications.
The college works in partnership with a wide range of external strategic partners. These
include Glasgow City and East Dunbartonshire Councils, and an extensive range of
community and employer organisations. It delivers a large number of school-college
partnership programmes.
The college is contracted to deliver an overall target of approximately 123,367 wSUMs
in 2014-15. The college's projected revenue budget for the period April 2014 to
March 2015 is £33m of which £20m is grant-in-aid from SFC.
2
3. Outcomes of External Review
Judgement of Effectiveness
Section A: Overarching judgement
The effectiveness of Glasgow Kelvin 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 quality culture. If not addressed, the importance of these
weaknesses will continue to limit the effectiveness of the college’s arrangements.
Section B: Supporting statements
Learner progress and outcomes
Almost all learners are making good progress during their programmes of study
and gain useful skills that enable them to enter employment or further study. Early
withdrawal rates for further education (FE) and higher education (HE) programmes
for 2013-14 are around the national sector performance level, overall. Further
withdrawal rates for FE and HE programmes is slightly better than the national
sector performance level, overall. Learner success in FE programmes is slightly
lower than the national sector performance. Learner success in HE programmes,
particularly full-time, is well below national sector performance. College
programmes meet the needs of learners, the local community and employers.
Learners develop their essential skills widely through participating in volunteering,
fund-raising, community and employment-related projects.
Learning and teaching processes
The college offers a wide range of programmes at campus locations and in
communities. Most learners work purposefully and participate enthusiastically in
learning activities. Almost all teaching staff use their professional knowledge well
to make lessons interesting. Relationships between teaching staff and learners are
very positive. Most staff plan lessons well to incorporate activities that engage and
motivate learners. However the majority of learners are not involved sufficiently by
teaching staff in joint planning of their learning. The analysis of Performance
Indicator (PI) data by curriculum teams is weak with very few specific actions
identified to improve low retention and attainment. Evaluation of learning and
teaching is not sufficiently effective.
3
Learner engagement
The college is committed to learner engagement. Almost all learners have positive
and supportive relationships with staff and are confident in discussing issues. They
value the responsiveness of staff. The college uses a range of effective feedback
mechanisms to gather learner views, inform review and evaluation, and improve
the learner experience. Most class representatives have received training in their
role, which supports learner confidence well and has improved the quality of
feedback. However, most learners are not supported by staff to engage fully with
planning and negotiating their own learning. The Students Association has a clear
constitution and strategic plan. It represents the student body well at both regional
and college board levels, and on key operational committees. The Students
Association feel that the college values and listens to them. Staff learning
engagement officers and the Students Association work well together to promote
learner engagement and develop staff understanding and commitment to achieving
the aims of the learner engagement strategy.
Leadership and Quality Culture
Managers and staff have responded well to change and the development of a new
culture, overall. A comprehensive curriculum review has been completed and is
supported well by clear plans for curriculum re-alignment. Communication and
engagement from senior managers with staff is not always fully effective.
Partnership working and collaboration with partner organisations widens access
and supports learner progression. The college works particularly well with young
learners. Strategic planning aligns well with national priorities. However,
target-setting within operational plans does not always fully support achievement of
objectives. Senior managers have not fully communicated the requirements of the
learning, teaching and assessment strategy to all staff. The college has not yet
implemented systematic reflection on learning and teaching. Support managers
lead their teams well, and staff are enthusiastic and committed to the delivery of
services to learners. There is a clear commitment to the development of a quality
culture by almost all staff. However, leadership for enhancing quality is not yet fully
effective and managers and staff, particularly in programme teams, have not
received sufficient guidance and support on approaches to self-evaluation. Urgent
improvement is required in programmes where attainment is low.
Section C:
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Areas of positive practice
Early withdrawal rates for FE and HE programmes for 2013-14 are around the
national sector performance level and further withdrawal rates for FE and HE
programmes are slightly better than the national sector performance overall.
Most learners whose destinations are known, progress to further study or
employment.
The college offers a wide range of programmes at different levels and modes of
delivery which meets the needs of learners, the local community and employers.
Almost all learners are making good progress during their programmes and gain
useful skills that enable them to enter employment or further study. Learner
attainment in all of the core skills is high.
4
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Programmes support learners effectively in the development of their skills for
learning, life and work, and their aspirations for employment or further study.
Relationships between teaching staff and learners are very positive and mutually
respectful.
The college is committed to establishing positive engagement with learners and the
Students Association is supported well by the college.
College managers and almost all staff have responded positively to major and
on-going change within the college’s operating environment.
Support managers have a clear vision for developing services to support learners,
and they lead their teams well.
The college has a strong commitment to working in partnership working with a wide
range of stakeholders and external bodies.
The college works proactively and productively with local secondary schools to
extend and enhance the curriculum on offer to school pupils.
Section D: Areas for development

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Learner success in full-time FE programmes is slightly lower than the national sector
performance for 2013-14, and learner success in full-time HE programmes is well
below national sector performance, and the lowest in the sector.
The majority of learners do not reflect sufficiently on their learning during classroom
activities.
In a few subject areas, insufficient planning to respond to prolonged teaching staff
absence has led to cancellation of classes, which has disadvantaged more than a
few learners.
In more than a few classes, the range of teaching approaches is too narrow to make
lessons interesting and the majority of learners are not involved sufficiently by
teaching staff in jointly planning aspects of their learning.
In City campus the learning environment is not conducive to the delivery of modern
learning and teaching approaches.
The effectiveness of guidance and support provided by class tutors is not consistent
across the college.
Evaluation of learning and teaching is predicated largely on learner feedback and
most self-evaluation reports fail to evaluate learning and teaching effectively.
Communication and engagement approaches adopted by senior managers are not
always effective in ensuring that all staff are aware of future plans and the rationale
for key strategic decisions.
Support for staff to engage with new quality processes is not targeted sufficiently by
senior staff to address all areas of low performance.
Guidance and support for staff is not sufficient to help them implement the aims of
the learning, teaching and assessment strategy, particularly in relation to learning
and teaching and attainment.
The college has not yet implemented systematic approaches to support staff
reflection on learning and teaching.
Self-evaluation reports vary in quality and staff do not analyse consistently the
reasons underlying poor performance. Curriculum area self-evaluation reports do
not yet focus sufficiently on evaluation of learning and teaching.
Leadership for enhancing quality is not yet fully effective and senior managers have
not provided sufficient guidance and support to managers and staff, particularly in
programme teams, on approaches to self-evaluation.
5
Section E:
Main points for action

The college should improve successful completion rates for full-time learners,
particularly those on HE programmes.

The college should ensure that curriculum teams develop and use targets for
improving retention and attainment systematically.

Senior managers should provide staff with support and direction in order to
implement fully the aims of the learning, teaching, and assessment strategy.

Senior managers should provide effective leadership for quality enhancement,
with particular focus on learning and teaching and attainment.
6
4.
How well are learners progressing and achieving relevant, high
quality outcomes?
How effective is the college at achieving and maintaining high levels of retention,
attainment and progression?
As the college merged in November 2013, there is no historical data on which to base
any trend analysis. However, for the purposes of this report the combined 2013-14 data
for the three legacy colleges has been considered as a baseline.
Early withdrawal rates for FE and HE programmes for 2013-14 are around the national
sector performance overall. However, the early withdrawal rate for learners on part-time
FE programmes is 6%, which is 3% worse than the national sector performance.
Further withdrawal rates for FE and HE programmes are slightly better than the national
sector performance overall. The further withdrawal rate for full-time HE learners is 9%,
which is 2% better than national sector performance.
In 2013-14, learner success in FE programmes was slightly lower than the national
sector performance. In full-time FE programmes, 65% of learners completed their
programme successfully which is 1% below the national sector performance. A further
10% of learners completed their programme with partial success, which is 2% better
than national sector performance. In part-time FE programmes, 79% of learners
completed their programme successfully which is 1% better than national sector
performance, with a further 9% of learners completing with partial success, which is in
line with national sector performance.
Learner success in HE programmes is well below the national sector performance. In
full-time HE programmes, 63% of learners completed their course successfully which is
9% below the national sector performance and the lowest in the sector. A further 23%
completed with partial success, which is 10% higher than the national average. In
part-time HE programmes, 74% of learners completed their programme successfully
which is four percentage points below the national sector performance, with a further
18% completing with partial success. Of those learners completing with partial success
on HE programmes, 36% achieved at least 75% of planned units compared with the
sector performance level of 23%.
Most FE learners whose destinations are known, progress to further study or training
and a few progress to full or part-time employment. Most HE learners progress to
further study or training.
How well do programmes and services meet learner needs?
The college offers a wide range of programmes at different levels and modes of delivery
which meets the needs of learners, the local community and employers. These range
from introductory access level programmes (SCQF level 2) to degree-level programmes
(SCQF level 9). The range of programmes and study options enable learners to access
programmes at an appropriate level. Progression routes are well signposted and many
programmes provide suitable exit points into employment as well as providing a useful
preparation for further study.
7
A significant proportion of provision is targeted at meeting the needs of vulnerable
groups of learners. This includes provision for learners who have behavioural, health
and addiction issues and looked after or accommodated young people. The college
works closely with its partners to deliver an extensive programme of community-based
learning. Its Youth Access Programme led by youth workers successfully supports
disengaged young people to re-engage with learning in an informal setting.
College programmes support the development of essential skills and skills for
employability well. There are many examples of college programmes supporting and
encouraging young people into employment for example, the Engineering Scholarship
programme has been very successful in enabling learners to progress to a positive,
sustained destination. The college works well with local secondary schools to deliver a
high number of part-time vocational programmes to school-age learners as part of the
senior phase of Curriculum for Excellence.
The Advice and Guidance team supports learners well prior to and during their studies
through delivering effective information, advice and support services on each campus.
How well do learners make progress, attain qualifications and achieve more
widely?
Almost all learners make good progress during their programme and gain useful skills
which enable them to enter employment or further study. Most learners who complete
their programme attain certificated awards. In some programme areas, learners gain
additional certification. This includes learners on sports programmes who achieve
national governing body awards, and learners on care programmes who achieve
certificates in first-aid and moving and handling. Learner attainment in all of the core
skills is high.
In a few subject areas, learner success rates on full-time FE and HE programmes are
among the best in the sector. These include care and sport and leisure. However,
many subject areas have low attainment rates on full-time programmes, particularly at
HE level. These include business, civil engineering, performing arts and science.
Many learners achieve more widely through participating in a range of activities which
develop essential skills and promote wider achievement. These include volunteering,
fund-raising and participating in community and employment-related projects. For
example, learners on fashion and events management programmes, planned,
coordinated and organised a fashion show which raised £5000 for a local hospital.
Many learners enter local and national competitions to gain further experience and
skills for working in the industry and competing in the job market. A few learners enjoy
success in competitions through winning sector and industry awards.
8
5.
How effective are the college’s learning and teaching processes?
How well does the college design and deliver programmes and services to meet
the needs of learners from all backgrounds and circumstances?
The college’s strong and positive ethos of inclusion and equality is embedded within
most programmes. Most teaching staff manage and facilitate the promotion of equality
and diversity well within lessons. The college delivers a wide range of programmes at
campus and community locations across the north and east of Glasgow to meet a
diverse range of learner needs. Programmes support learners effectively to develop
skills for learning, life and work and their aspirations for employment or further study.
The college takes very good account of the needs of disadvantaged groups, particularly
those with very low levels of prior attainment. Teaching staff respond appropriately to
support learners who have additional barriers to learning. They adjust arrangements
and learning and teaching approaches to meet the specific needs of individuals and
groups of learners.
How well do learners learn?
Most learners participate purposefully and enthusiastically in learning activities and
develop skills and confidence in their learning. They are motivated and apply
themselves conscientiously to individual and group tasks. Generally, most learners use
a range of resources confidently. In most classes, learners support each other well and
use peer learning activities effectively to assess progress and evaluate individual or
group performance. However, the majority of learners do not reflect sufficiently on their
learning during classroom activities.
Most learners make use of the Virtual Learning Environment to extend their learning.
They make good use of this facility to access additional materials, submit assessments,
and to access feedback on their performance for their teachers. Overall, learners make
good progress towards their learning goals. They produce high-quality work and
develop a range of academic and vocational skills which enable them to tackle more
complex tasks and activities. However, too many learners are over-reliant on teacher
input and as a result do not develop skills and confidence for learning independently.
How well do planning, teaching and the use of resources ensure effective
learning?
Most staff plan lessons well to incorporate activities which engage and motivate
learners. Almost all teaching staff use their professional knowledge well to make
lessons vocationally relevant and develop the employability skills of learners. However,
in a few subject areas insufficient planning to respond to prolonged teaching staff
absence has led to cancellation of classes which has disadvantaged more than a few
learners. The college has recently put in place appropriate plans to address the issue,
including how it will support learners to achieve the classwork they have missed.
Almost all staff are approachable and responsive to learner needs. They actively
encourage and support learners to develop confidence and make progress towards their
learning goals. The majority of teaching staff use an appropriate range of teaching
approaches to make lessons interesting and to stimulate learner engagement.
9
However, in more than a few classes, the range of learning and teaching approaches
used by staff is too narrow to make lessons interesting. Overall, teaching staff do not
involve learners sufficiently in jointly planning aspects of their learning.
Relationships between teaching staff and learners are very positive and mutually
respectful which contributes towards a purposeful environment for learning. The
majority of learners develop a good awareness of sustainability issues within the context
of their curriculum area. Almost all teaching staff set high standards and expectations
for learners which are often linked to professional standards in the workplace. Overall,
learning environments are of a high standard. However, in City campus, the learning
environment is not conducive to the delivery of modern learning and teaching
approaches.
How well is assessment used to promote effective learning?
Almost all staff plan end-of-unit assessment appropriately and ensure that learners are
prepared effectively. Most teaching staff provide learners with good quality, written and
oral feedback on end-of-unit assessments. These arrangements support learners well
to reflect on their progress and plan next steps in their learning. Most staff provide oral
feedback during lessons which helps learners to reflect on their learning and develop
knowledge and skills. However, more than a few staff do not use an appropriate range
of on-going assessment techniques to assess learner understanding and promote
further learning. In the majority of theory lessons, the approach to on-going assessment
is limited to questioning which restricts opportunities for deeper learning and reflection
on progress.
Effective processes are in place to support learners who require alternative
arrangements to engage in assessments. Staff support learners well to make
necessary adjustments to assessment arrangements and deadlines and to access
assistive technologies.
How well are potential and current learners provided with information, advice and
support?
The college carried out a comprehensive review of admissions arrangements and has
drawn on the findings to implement improvements in the current academic year. A
helpful range of pre-entry information and guidance is available to potential learners
through the college website and prospectus. All learners are encouraged to disclose
additional support requirements as early as possible, to enable staff to provide learners
with appropriate and helpful support from the start of their programmes. The Students
Association takes an active role in helping new learners to settle in to college life.
Students Association representatives visit class groups and issue a useful welcome
pack which contains helpful information about college facilities and the range of support
services available.
Recently-introduced regular, timetabled guidance provided by class tutors and the use
of revised individual learning plans are supporting almost all learners well to reflect on
their learning, review progress, and plan next steps. However, the effectiveness of
guidance and support provided by class tutors is not consistent across the college. As a
result, more than a few learners do not benefit from one-to-one support.
10
In addition to timetabled sessions, staff provide learners with helpful on-going guidance
on progression and employment opportunities. Well planned central guidance and
support provided by staff from the Advice and Guidance team provides comprehensive,
centralised support to learners. Learners who have complex needs are supported well
to resolve issues and sustain their learning.
How well does the college sustain continuous enhancement of learning and
teaching through self-evaluation and internal review activities?
Most teaching staff are making good use of newly-introduced approaches to
self-evaluation to engage effectively in discussions with colleagues regarding
programme performance. Learner contributions to self-evaluation are gathered through
the attendance of class representatives at course team meetings, the stop and check
survey, and through feedback to teaching staff. Most subject areas have established
effective partnerships with industry and draw on feedback from external stakeholders to
inform evaluation and planning. Most staff have participated in self-evaluation and
internal review. However, learner engagement in self-evaluation is not consistent
across the college.
The analysis of PI data relating to learner retention and attainment in programme team
and faculty evaluation reports is weak and often based on inaccurate data. As a result,
there are very few specific actions identified to improve retention and attainment.
Evaluation of learning and teaching is predicated largely on learner feedback and most
self-evaluation reports do not evaluate learning and teaching effectively.
Programme area self-evaluation reports are variable in quality, and not sufficiently
evaluative. Programme teams do not analyse consistently the reasons underlying poor
performance indicators. This is evident in relation to the low successful completion
rates of full-time learners, particularly on HE level programmes. In curriculum areas
with low-performing programmes, actions to improve attainment are not detailed
sufficiently. Targets for improvement are not used routinely or systematically by
curriculum teams and faculty managers to set standards and measure improvement.
Where actions have been identified and implemented by programme teams in the
current academic year, it is too early to evaluate the impact of action taken.
11
6.
How well are learners engaged in enhancing their own learning
and the work and life of the college?
How well do learners engage in enhancing their own learning?
The college is committed to establishing positive engagement with learners. The
recently-developed learner engagement and learning, teaching and assessment
strategies outline clearly the college’s ethos and expectations in relation to developing
approaches to learner engagement.
Almost all full-time classes have a class representative. Most class representatives
receive helpful training developed jointly by the trade union education centre and
Students Association to assist them in their role. The majority of class representatives
report that the training has improved their confidence and skills for representing the
views of their peers. The majority of class representatives make good use of regular
Students Association meetings, which support them well keep up-to-date and inform
their input to action-planning for improvement. Almost all class representatives attend
course team meetings and provide helpful feedback to staff when evaluating
programmes and services.
Almost all learners have positive and supportive relationships with teaching staff and
enjoy their college experience. In most classes, teaching staff gather learner views on
learning and teaching to inform the evaluation of programmes. Learners provide
feedback through a range of methods such as stop and check, focus groups, and
regular questionnaires. They are confident about contributing their views on learning
and teaching and wider issues. Learners value the responsiveness of staff in taking
forward actions for improvement as a result of their feedback. These include
improvements to accommodation and timetabling arrangements, learning materials and
resources. However, most learners are not supported sufficiently by teaching staff to
engage fully in planning and negotiating aspects of their own learning.
Staff respond well to learner feedback overall, and have made improvements to the
learner experience as a result. The Students Association is developing employer
partnerships within the local community to provide further opportunities for learners to
participate in work experience. In a few curriculum areas, learners engage in
volunteering opportunities. For example, learners on sports programmes undertake
training in the coaching of young people, sponsored by the local authority during which
they deliver up to 40 hours of voluntary sports coaching within the local community. The
Students Association is working hard to increase the range of social activities for
learners.
How well do learners engage in enhancing the work and life of the college?
The college provides effective support to the Students Association. The Students
Association Executive which includes both sabbatical and voluntary roles, offers
learners an appropriate range of opportunities to influence the life and work of the
college, by focussing on, for example, learning and teaching or social activities. The
Learner Engagement team works well with the Students Association executive officers
to promote and develop understanding of learner engagement and to achieve the aims
of the Learner engagement strategy.
12
The recently-developed constitution and strategic plan outlines clearly the role of the
Students Association in Glasgow Kelvin College. The Students Association executive
represents the student body well at regional and college board level, and on key college
management and operational committees. Learner representatives feel valued and
listened to in shaping the future of the college and enhancing the experience of
learners. However, communication from the Students Association to the wider student
body is not yet fully effective in reaching all learners.
The Students Association and newly-introduced peer mentors are developing a
coherent approach to embedding learner engagement in all aspects of college life.
Together they offer helpful support to induct new learners through face-to-face
engagement with class groups. A helpful welcome pack provides learners with useful
information about key aspects of college life, and how to access support if required.
Learners enhance the work and life of the college and its role in supporting the
communities it serves through engagement in a range projects and initiatives. They
plan a range of activities to support a number of local charities, cultural events, and
community initiatives through, for example, pamper days, ‘tea @ GKC’, and pop-up
shops. Some learners engage in foreign exchange visits and projects which help to
extend their learning. For example, music learners participate in work placements
across Europe to gain wider experience of their chosen industry.
13
7.
How well does the college recognise and respond to changes in
its environment?
College managers and almost all staff have responded positively to major, on-going
change within the college’s operating environment. Senior managers have taken good
account of the requirements of regionalisation and Scottish Government Post-16 reform
to plan provision across campuses. Senior managers have planned and managed
aspects of the change process resulting from merger well. However, significant
challenges remain in establishing a common culture amongst staff. Communication and
engagement approaches adopted by senior managers are not always effective in
ensuring that all staff are aware of future plans and the rationale for key strategic
decisions.
College managers have responded positively to the increased demands of bringing
together three sets of legacy arrangements. They have prioritised appropriately key
areas for early development, to focus initially on services which support learner needs
and quality improvement. Effective joint working between senior curriculum managers
and the quality team has assisted the development of new arrangements to improve the
quality of the learner experience. Together they have engaged enthusiastically in
revising quality processes and have supported staff effectively to contribute their views
and opinions. However, implementation of new quality arrangements is at an early
stage. Staff understanding of and engagement with, the new processes is not yet
consistent across the college. Many aspects of operational activity are still developing
including the new management information system and self-evaluation processes.
However, good progress has been made by managers across a number of areas in
harmonising arrangements across the new college.
In response to college and regional requirements, senior managers have completed a
comprehensive review of the curriculum. The curriculum review process took good
account of staff and learner views and produced clear and well-informed plans for
curriculum realignment and enhancement.
Throughout the change process, senior managers have addressed risk systematically.
Where newly-implemented processes are not working effectively, college managers
respond quickly to address problems and resolve issues for learners. For example, a
review of admissions processes undertaken in response to concerns from staff and
learners led to improved arrangements for learner recruitment. Senior managers are
aware that whilst the pace of change has been challenging for staff, improvement in a
number of programmes where attainment is low is required urgently. Arrangements
have been put in place to help staff identify actions to improve levels of learner success.
The use of quality improvement plans and targeted support from senior staff is helping
to develop staff approaches and skills to plan for improvement. However, support for
staff to engage with these processes is not targeted sufficiently by senior staff. As a
result, staff do not yet identify consistently actions to address areas of low performance.
The college board and senior team are very aware of the potential impact on staff
morale of the proposals for re-alignment of the curriculum across the Glasgow Region.
They are working diligently to seek early agreement of proposals to reduce the potential
impact of further curriculum change. Some staff report that the volume and pace of
change is challenging. They require on-going and focused support to engage fully with
new operational arrangements.
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8. How well is the college led and how well is it enhancing the quality
of its services for learners and other stakeholders?
Senior managers are working effectively with the other two assigned colleges in the
Glasgow Region to establish common strategic direction for Glasgow and the
surrounding area. This is based on a clear, common mission to improve skills levels
and educational attainment within the city. The college also contributes to the Glasgow
Regional Outcome Agreement for 2014-15. The college is responding positively to the
opportunities and challenges presented within a complex regional operating
environment and is confident that it will continue to make a contribution to regional
development. Following the merger of the three legacy colleges in 2013, Glasgow
Kelvin College is in its second year as a single institution, although 2014-15 is the
college’s first full academic year of operation.
The college’s strategic plan 2014-16, driven by its commitment to excellence,
progression and enterprise, sets out clearly its eight strategic themes as a new college.
These themes have a strong focus on accessibility, enhancing the quality of the learner
experience, and providing a high quality, relevant curriculum. The strategic plan reflects
national policies and drivers well including Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce and
Scottish Government Youth Employment strategy. College plans take good account of
the priorities of a broad range of external partners, including schools, community
organisations, and employers.
College operational plans align appropriately with strategic objectives. However, some
operational targets are not sufficiently specific and it is not clear how the impact of their
achievement will be measured. Senior managers review operational plans regularly and
monitor progress towards achievement of targets on an on-going basis.
Led well by the college board, the college is responding positively to the challenging and
complex regional operating environment. The college’s well-considered response to
regional curriculum alignment is laid out in a comprehensive curriculum plan which
identifies clearly the priorities for change. The college has a strong, inclusive ethos, and
the principal and staff share a clear vision for the college as being central to improving
the lives and employability of learners in the north and east of Glasgow. Almost all staff
are committed to achievement of the college’s aims. The senior team is visible and
accessible, and has a presence across all campuses. Heads of Faculty are developing
the knowledge and confidence to provide sound leadership for their curriculum areas.
The newly-developed Learning, teaching, and assessment strategy takes good account
of national priorities, and is underpinned by a clear focus on the aims and principles of
Curriculum for Excellence. The strategy also identifies the need for more robust and
systematic arrangements for the evaluation of learning and teaching. However, senior
managers have not communicated fully to the requirements of the strategy to all staff.
Teaching staff are not receiving sufficient guidance and support to help them implement
the aims of the learning, teaching and assessment strategy, particularly in relation to
improving retention and attainment.
College managers have led a well-planned review of curriculum and resources. Staff
and learner views were gathered effectively and taken into account well through
engagement in the curriculum review group. Currently only 63% of teaching staff hold
initial teaching qualifications, which is well below sector levels. The college recognises
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this and has developed a clear plan for CPD to address the training and development
needs of staff. The college has not yet implemented consistent approaches to support
staff reflection on learning and teaching, and as a result staff do not evaluate their
practice systematically. Arrangements for the induction of teaching staff are currently
devolved to individual faculties but new staff do not always receive a sufficiently
comprehensive or systematic induction to prepare them for delivering learning and
teaching.
Support managers share a clear vision for developing services to support learners and
lead their teams well. They work productively and constructively together to ensure that
they meet operational priorities. Support managers plan services well and
improvements are informed by feedback received from course team meetings, stop and
check learner surveys and focus groups. Managers work collaboratively with external
agencies to ensure arrangements are comprehensive, accessible and delivered
effectively according to the needs of the college’s diverse range of learners.
Support staff are enthusiastic and are empowered by managers to develop and improve
services. They have identified quickly the need to develop consistent approaches to
supporting learners during the merger transition process. Support teams are engaging
well with new self-evaluation arrangements to establish effective approaches to
cross-campus delivery of support services. Support managers have developed detailed
operational plans and monitor progress against achievement of targets regularly.
Changes are implemented quickly by staff, for example drop-in surgeries offered in all
campuses to enable learners to access support and specialist knowledge easily.
Staff promote services well to learners. However, support managers acknowledge the
need to promote the full range of services within curriculum teams. Support teams work
well with an extensive range of external partner agencies and this is supporting access
to specialist services for learners well.
The college’s strategic plan sets out a clear commitment to enhancing the quality of its
programmes and services. Almost all staff are committed to the college’s emerging
quality culture and most are engaging well with the new quality processes. Senior staff
recognise the challenges in developing a college-wide harmonised approach to quality
assurance and improvement and have focused early efforts on developing a consistent
approach to self-evaluation. Self-evaluation reports vary in quality and staff do not
analyse consistently the reasons underlying poor PIs. Curriculum area self-evaluation
reports do not yet focus sufficiently on evaluation of learning and teaching. Leadership
for enhancing quality is not yet fully effective and senior managers have not provided
sufficient guidance and support to managers, particularly in programme teams, on
approaches to self-evaluation. As a result, staff engagement in self-evaluation is not yet
fully developed.
Although too early to assess its impact, action-planning for improvement by staff has
resulted in some interventions aimed at improving the learner experience. These
include the addition of specialist staffing, the introduction of tutorial time to support
learner attainment, and improved timetabling arrangements within some programmes.
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9.
How extensive and effective are college partnerships with
communities, other learning providers, employers and agencies?
The college has a strong commitment to working in partnership with a wide range of
stakeholders and external bodies. The strategic plan 2014-16 identifies clearly the
college’s strategic themes and objectives which are aligned well with the outcomes and
priority impacts of the Glasgow Regional Outcome Agreement 2014-15 and the priorities
of the Glasgow Community Planning Partnership. The college is highly valued by local
partners within the area and the principal and senior managers contribute significantly to
a range of external executive committees including, Digital Glasgow and Thriving
Places.
College staff collaborate successfully with a range of partners to plan and deliver
services which substantially widen access, increase learner participation and support
learner progression. The college’s wider access and youth access programmes make
good use of community resources to encourage and ease access to learning for a large
number of learners across a wide range of ages and abilities. The youth access
programme develops core skills and offers recognition of achievement through a range
of formal awards including Dynamic Youth and Youth Achievement awards, and college
certificates. The college works with Royal Strathclyde Blindcraft Industries and local
schools to arrange and deliver high quality learning and work experience for people with
disabilities.
The college works proactively and productively with ten local secondary schools to
extend and enhance the curriculum for school pupils. Following merger, the college has
broadened the range of programmes on offer to local schools and extended
opportunities for school-age learners. These arrangements are providing good
opportunities for learners in the senior phase of Curriculum for Excellence to undertake
vocational programmes supporting the requirements of Developing The Young
Workforce.
Through productive relationships with social enterprises, universities, employers, and
community agencies, the college works very effectively to empower minority groups and
support them to develop local community capacity.
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10. 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 examples
worthy of dissemination.
9.1 Supporting The Development of Vocational Skills Through Strong
Partnership Working
Glasgow Kelvin College works with Glasgow City secondary schools and four major
local employers to assist school pupils to gain skills for learning, life, and work. The
Engineering Scholarship embeds the development of vocational and employability skills
alongside academic qualifications undertaken at school.
Each secondary school is assigned a major employer, which is involved in the
recruitment of learners and on-going support and mentoring as learners progress
through the programme. Learners attend college for two days per week to undertake a
National Certificate in Electrical Engineering and spend one day a week on work
placement with their assigned employer. They spend the remaining two days in school
to study for national qualifications and community or volunteering awards.
Employers work with learners to help them contextualise their learning through a
number of industry visits. The programme also supports a range of skills including
literacy, numeracy, and health and wellbeing, entrepreneurship, citizenship and critical
thinking. From the initial cohort of learners, almost all have progressed to either
employment, a Modern Apprenticeship in engineering, or to Higher National Diploma
study in an engineering discipline. The college has built on the success of the initial
cohort, with the programme now providing opportunities to an increased number of
learners. The number and range of employers involved has also increased. This has
broadened the range of vocational experiences on offer to learners.
9.2 Supporting Young Learners with Additional Support Needs Through Outdoor
Learning
Glasgow Kelvin College has worked with a local charity (Common Knowledge UK) to
develop and deliver a programme utilising the woodland community area at the
Springburn campus. The programme supports young learners with additional support
needs to develop their essential skills through engagement with outdoor and
cross-curricular learning. In partnership with external agencies, college staff across a
range of curriculum areas help learners to develop skills in gardening, popular culture,
and environmental sustainability. The programme embeds a strong focus on
developing all four capacities of Curriculum for Excellence. Attainment of qualifications
is embedded within the delivery, and learners achieve skills for learning, life and work
through collaborative working and peer learning.
During the programme, learners develop self-confidence and awareness of a range of
subject areas including horticulture, photography, art and design, and fashion.
All learners gain confidence in working independently and develop greater awareness of
their rights as individuals. Learners achieve more widely through engagement in
external competitions, display of their artwork within the college and on-going
development of the garden. The development of the college’s woodland garden is
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enhancing the local community. Recently, the group entered a national gardening
competition and was awarded a silver medal at the Scottish Horticultural Show.
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11.
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.
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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.
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12. 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.
Gill Ritchie
HM Inspector
13. 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 www.glasgowkelvin.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
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14. How can you contact us?
This report has been produced as a web-only publication and is available on our
website at
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/inspectionandreview/reports/othersectors/collegere
views/GlasgowKelvinCollege.asp If you would like to receive this report in a different
format, for example, in a translation please contact the administration team on 01506
600381.
If you want to give us feedback or make a complaint about our work, please contact us
by telephone on 0141 282 5000, or e-mail: complaints@educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk or
write to us addressing your letter to The Complaints Manager, Denholm House,
Almondvale Business Park, Livingston, EH54 6GA.
Text phone users can contact us on 01506 600236. This is a service for deaf users.
Please do not use this number for voice calls as the line will not connect you to a
member of staff.
Readability Survey
Alternatively if you are reading this report in hard copy please type the following address
into your web browser.
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/Images/FEReadabilitysurvey130612_tcm4719342.doc
Crown Copyright 2015
Education Scotland
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Appendix 1
Glossary of terms Please add/delete terms that apply to this report
SFC
SCQF
wSUMs
FE
HE
PI
CPD
Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council
Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework
Student unit of measurement
Further Education
Higher Education
Performance Indicator
Continuing professional development
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Appendix 2
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