Inverness College UHI
6 May 2016
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.
The review took place in accordance with the protocol on quality assurance of University
of the Highland and Islands Millennium Institute (UHIMI) 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 (QAA), 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
Page
1. 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:
3
3
5
5
6
Overarching judgement
Supporting statements
Areas of positive practice
Areas for development
Main points for action
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 is the college led and how well is it enhancing the
quality of its services for learners and other stakeholders?
14
8. How extensive and effective are college partnerships with
communities, other learning providers, employers and
agencies?
17
9. Signposting excellent practice
18
10. What is an overarching judgement?
20
11. What happens next?
22
12. Further information
22
13. How can you contact us?
23
Appendices
24
Glossary of terms
The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework
24
25
1.
Introduction
The external review
The external review by Education Scotland took place during the week beginning
7 March 2016.
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 Quality Indicators 1.3 Adherence to statutory
principles and 2.2 Relevance of programmes and services to learner needs, 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 page 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 Inverness College University of the Highlands and
Islands (UHI), Education Scotland took the following college context fully into account.
Inverness College UHI is the largest academic partner in the UHI partnership. In
2013-14 the college increased its further education (FE) activity target from Scottish
Further and Higher Education Funding Council (SFC) from 37,760 to 40,301 wSUM.
In 2014-15 the college enrolled 4,704 learners on FE programmes. There are
approximately 400 staff in the college, of which just over half are teaching staff.
The FE curriculum covers 16 subject areas which includes specialist provision within the
Scottish School of Forestry. The college also delivers a large number of Modern
Apprenticeship programmes supported by Skills Development Scotland (SDS).
School-college partnership provision includes new Foundation Apprenticeships in
Engineering.
The college has experienced significant change over the last three years. The current
principal was appointed in February 2013 and 20 new senior and middle managers
have taken up post since then. Over the last few years the college has embarked on a
major review of practices and business processes and systems. Organisational
changes have taken place alongside the construction and relocation to the college’s
new estates. The college’s new main building on the Inverness Campus opened to
learners in August 2015 and the new facilities which house forestry provision at Balloch
opened in April 2015.
The college participates in the Highlands and Islands regional colleges’ structure, the
UHI partnership and the Highland Community Planning Partnership. It also contributes
to local and regional employer forums. In October 2015 the principal began a two-year,
part-time secondment as the UHI Vice-Principal, Work-based Learning/Employer
Engagement. In 2015, the college achieved the Frank Buttle Trust quality mark and the
Investors in Young People award.
The majority of FE learners enrolled at Inverness College UHI come from the Inverness
and Inner Moray Firth area. The college also attracts learners wishing to study on
specialist programmes from across the Highland region and beyond. The population of
the Inner Moray Firth area is approximately 153,000 and grew by 14.8% between 2001
and 2011. Unemployment rates in the area are lower than across Scotland as a whole
and in line with those of the Highlands and Islands. School attainment and school
leaver positive destinations for the wider Highland Council area are above the Scotland
average. A larger proportion of the adult population in the Inner Moray Firth area have
degree-level qualifications compared to the Highlands and Islands and Scotland as a
whole.
In 2014-15 total college income was £17.6m of which 73% was grant income from SFC
(including UHI grant for higher education).
2
3.
Outcomes of External Review
Judgement of Effectiveness
Section A: Overarching judgement
Inverness 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
Full-time FE successful completion rates have improved from 54% to 63%, just
under the national sector performance level. In part-time FE programmes,
successful completion rates have moved from 62% to 82% and are now well above
national sector performance. However, early and further withdrawal rates in
full-time FE programmes have been static over the three year period, and remain
slightly worse than national sector performance levels. Almost 97% of FE learners
whose destinations are known progress to work or further study. The college is
addressing its responsibilities well with regard to PREVENT, Corporate Parenting
and equalities. FE programmes take good account of the economic needs of the
region and the local area, and offer clear progression pathways. Almost all full-time
FE programmes have a clear focus on essential skills, including employability, and
most learners make good use of opportunities to develop these. The majority of
learners achieve appropriate qualifications and achieve their personal goals. Many
also take part in competitions and award schemes in order to broaden their
experience.
Learning and teaching processes
The college offers a range of FE programmes which meets well the needs of
learners from diverse backgrounds and circumstances. Learners and teaching staff
develop purposeful relationships that contribute to a safe and positive learning
environment. Almost all learners are making good progress in their studies,
developing a range of useful skills for employment or progression to further study.
They particularly enjoy practical classes. Most teaching staff use their professional
and industrial knowledge well to ensure learning is delivered in a motivating way.
They set appropriate standards in almost all classes and explain clearly their
expectations. However, effective use by teaching staff and learners of the virtual
learning environment (VLE) is inconsistent across FE programmes. Personal
3
Academic Tutors (PAT) provide high-quality on-going guidance and support to
learners. College central guidance staff also work well with programme teams.
Teaching staff review and discuss learning and teaching regularly and most engage
well in self-evaluation and internal review processes. Programme teams are aware
of areas in need of further improvement and respond positively to the support and
challenge provided by senior managers through targeted intervention
arrangements.
Learner engagement
The college is highly committed to successful learner engagement. It has many
constructive processes in place to elicit the views of learners and uses them to
influence improvement. Many learners take responsibility for their own learning and
influence the design and delivery of learning. In a majority of programmes, FE
class representatives participate in course committee meetings. However, a
significant number of course committee meetings and reports do not benefit from
direct learner input and many class representatives are unaware of this aspect of
their role. Over the past few years Inverness College Students’ Association (ICSA)
has enhanced its profile and influence significantly. Learners are well represented
on key college committees. The college makes constructive use of learner
feedback from ICSA Student Representative Council (SRC) meetings to enhance
the quality of college services. However, the number of class representatives
attending SRC meetings has reduced over the past year. While almost all learners
are aware of the existence of the students’ association, a majority have only limited
awareness of its role in influencing improvement. Many learners organise
fundraising events and contribute to volunteering activities that benefit the college
and the wider community.
Leadership and Quality Culture
Partnership working in the college is a major strength, with a wide range of
successful, collaborative projects in place. The college strategic aims and
objectives are clear and appropriate. Since 2013 an increasingly open, positive
ethos has developed within the college. The principal and senior managers have
led recent developments within the college very effectively and leadership across
curriculum and support teams is strong. The move to a new building has greatly
improved the working environment. The college has clear strategies in place for
improving the learner experience and ensuring that learners achieve programme
aims. There is effective coordination between support and curriculum teams and
many support service and quality processes have been improved. However,
college plans to resolve residual learner funding application issues are not clear.
Most staff and many learners engage well in quality processes. However,
arrangements for programme self-evaluation reporting mean that programme teams
are unable to analyse key messages from learner feedback or monitor actions to
address any issues systematically enough. There is significant improvement in
overall college successful outcome rates. However, a few programmes still have
low success rates. The college is actively monitoring and supporting these areas.
4
Section C:












In both full-time and part-time FE programmes, there have been significant
improvements in successful completion rates over a three year period.
FE programmes take good account of the economic needs of the region and the
local area, and there are clear progression pathways in place for those who want to
continue their learning or move to employment.
Almost all FE learners who are attending college are progressing well. The majority
achieve appropriate qualifications and achieve their personal goals. Almost 97% of
FE learners whose destinations are known progress to work or further study.
Most teaching staff use their professional and industrial knowledge well to ensure
learning is delivered in a motivating way. Teaching staff and learners work well
together to establish positive and respectful relationships.
PATs provide high-quality on-going guidance and support through weekly timetabled
guidance sessions. All learners feel very well informed about options for
progression.
The college has many constructive processes in place to elicit the views of learners
and use them to influence improvement. Several improvements have taken place as
a result.
Over the past few years, ICSA has enhanced its profile and influence significantly.
It is very well supported by the college.
The college Strategic Plan for 2014-17 sets out clear and appropriate aims and
objectives. Following a difficult period in its history, many key concerns have been
addressed successfully and the college is now on track towards achieving its aims.
An increasingly open, positive ethos has developed within the college over the past
few years. The move to new buildings in 2015 has greatly improved the working
environment.
The Board of Management and college senior managers have a clear sense of
direction for the development of the curriculum. The college makes good use of
economic intelligence across different industry sectors to make sure it is delivering
an appropriate range of programmes.
The principal and senior managers work positively with the Board of Management
and have led recent developments within the college very effectively. Leadership
across curriculum and support teams is also strong.
The college has clear strategies in place for improving the learner experience and
ensuring that learners achieve programme aims. In a relatively short space of time,
it has significantly improved the quality of its work. There has been a largely
successful drive towards consistency of quality approaches across all curriculum
areas.
Section D:



Areas of positive practice
Areas for development
Successful outcome rates are low in a few subject areas, and reflect high levels of
learner withdrawal.
A significant number of course committee meetings and reports do not benefit from
direct FE class representative input. Many FE class representatives are unaware
that they are expected to attend these meetings and provide the views of their
classmates to course committees.
A majority of learners have only limited awareness of the role of the students’
association in influencing improvement.
5


At the time of the review, 145 learners had not yet completed the funding application
process. College attempts to resolve this situation have not been successful. While
the college has plans in place to overhaul the process for FE learner funding, plans
to address this specific issue are not yet clear.
Arrangements for programme self-evaluation reporting mean that learner views from
the range of sources used in the college are not collated or evidenced specifically
as part of the process. As a consequence, programme teams are unable to analyse
key messages from learner feedback or monitor actions to address any issues
systematically enough.
Section E:
Main points for action

The college should improve successful completion rates in programmes
where they are low.

The college should ensure that its arrangements for collating learner views
and using them to inform quality improvement at programme level are fully
effective.

The college should improve its management of applications for learner
funding.
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?
Early withdrawal rates in full-time FE programmes have remained static over the three
year period at 10%, and remain slightly worse than the national sector performance
level. Further withdrawal rates in full-time FE have increased from 17% to 18%, and are
also slightly worse than the national sector performance level. In part-time FE
programmes, early withdrawal rates have reduced from 6% to 3%, and are close to
sector performance levels. Further withdrawal rates in part-time FE have seen a
significant improvement, moving from 14% to 5%, now just better than sector
performance levels.
In full-time FE programmes, there have been significant improvements in successful
completion rates over a three year period from 54% to 63%, now just under the sector
performance level. In part-time FE programmes, successful completion rates have
improved from 62% to 82% and are now well above the national sector performance
level. Over the three year period, partial success rates in full-time FE programmes have
reduced from 19% to 9% while partial success rates in part-time FE programmes have
reduced from 18% to 10%. Almost all learners undertaking a Modern Apprenticeship
programme at the college are making good progress.
Almost 97% of FE learners whose destinations are known progress to work or further
study.
How well does the college adhere to its statutory principles?
The college has effective processes in place for safeguarding and has taken good
account of the requirements of the UK Government’s PREVENT strategy. Appropriate
protocols are in place for sharing information with other agencies, which helps the
college to identify any potential safeguarding or PREVENT risks at an early stage. All
staff are well informed about their responsibilities relating to this area. Key support and
guidance staff have experienced detailed training and further training is planned for
curriculum staff in the near future.
The college is addressing its responsibilities well with regard to corporate parenting,
building on its well-established practices as holders of the Buttle Trust Award. Over the
past two years it has improved processes for identifying and supporting care
experienced leavers. The college has developed helpful briefing and staff training
materials in partnership with Who Cares? Scotland and most staff have had
awareness-raising discussions within team meetings. Preparation of a single,
up-to-date and coherent corporate parenting plan for the college is well underway.
The college has appropriate policies and procedures in place to take account of equality
and diversity, with a useful progress report on equality outcomes published on its
website. There are plans in place to update public reporting to take into account the full
range of protected characteristics. However, the equality outcomes report does not yet
identify how well learners with protected characteristics progress or succeed when
benchmarked against the full learner cohort. Equalities data is analysed in detail within
7
programme self-evaluations and curriculum area evaluations. Actions to address
gender imbalance or success rates for learners with protected characteristics are noted
in most programme team reports, though with varying levels of detail.
How well do programmes and services meet learner needs?
The college offers an appropriate range of programmes from Scottish Credit and
Qualifications Framework (SCQF) level 1 to level 12. FE programmes take good
account of the economic needs of the region and the local area and there are clear
progression pathways in place for those who want to continue their learning or move to
employment. A series of curriculum maps have been particularly helpful for young
people attending school who are considering college study. A detailed and useful
senior phase prospectus outlines a wide range of programmes and employment routes
for young people to consider.
Employer Curriculum Advisory Groups help to ensure that programmes prepare
learners well for future employment. Most programmes include specific employability
units at appropriate SCQF levels. Almost all full-time FE programmes include
employability activities such as work experience, industry visits and competitions within
their design. For example, in care programmes learners are strongly supported to gain
industry experience through relevant voluntary activity. College-wide, a range of
initiatives helps learners to develop employability awareness and skills, including
activities delivered as a part of Employability Week. The college CREATE team, with a
remit to develop learner knowledge and skills in enterprise, delivers a range of
successful activities such as workshops and competitions to learners.
Most learners who complete college-wide surveys express overall satisfaction with their
experience. However, many learners have expressed concern that arrangements for
processing funding support applications are neither fully effective nor supportive.
How well do learners make progress, attain qualifications and achieve more
widely?
Almost all FE learners who are attending college are progressing well. The majority
achieve appropriate qualifications and achieve their personal goals.
FE learners perform well in particular subject areas, such as art and design,
engineering, performing arts, media and sport. However, in other areas such as care,
forestry and science, success rates are low. In 2014-15, a number of programmes had
very high learner withdrawal rates. College figures for 2015-16 indicate improvement in
early withdrawal rates. Learner attainment overall in most core skills areas has
declined. The college is addressing low successful outcomes in core skills in some
areas by making changes to delivery approaches. Early indications are that learners
are responding well to these.
Most learners make good use of opportunities to develop essential skills and in some
subject areas, to acquire industry-accredited qualifications. These enhance their
chances of gaining employment. Many learners take part in competitions and award
schemes incorporated into their studies and there are examples of success throughout
the college. Many learners also participate in the UHI Business Idea Competition and
benefit from direct contact with industry specialists as a result.
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 actively promotes equality and diversity through its Equality Outcomes
Strategy. Where opportunities arise within the curriculum, teaching staff work well to
develop learner understanding of equality and diversity.
The college offers a suitable portfolio of FE programmes which meets the needs of
learners well. Almost all curriculum teams ensure that programme content is
appropriate and addresses the needs of different groups of learners from diverse
backgrounds and circumstances. Almost all programmes also provide clear progression
routes into further learning and take good account of the requirements of local
industries.
The college provides high levels of support for learners who need to overcome barriers
to learning. Most of these learners progress into employment or further study. Almost
all learners are well aware of where and how to access services to support learning.
How well do learners learn?
In almost all classes, learners are interested and motivated. They enjoy their college
experience and are enthusiastic about their studies.
All learners engage well with teaching staff and develop purposeful relationships that
contribute to a safe and positive learning environment. They particularly enjoy practical
classes which assist their development of relevant vocational skills. Most learners
support each other well throughout their programmes. This is evident in group work
where they benefit from sharing tasks and ideas and exercising leadership. Learners
particularly welcome real-life exemplification of topics they are exploring and find that
this greatly assists their knowledge and understanding.
Most learners use a range of resources well to support their learning. They use
industry-standard tools and equipment safely and competently, which helps to prepare
them well for the workplace. Almost all learners are making good progress in their
studies, and are developing a range of useful skills for employment or progression to
further study.
How well do planning, teaching and the use of resources ensure effective
learning?
Almost all teaching staff across most subject areas plan lessons well to ensure that
appropriate skills and knowledge are developed by learners. Most staff motivate or
engage learners by enabling them to personalise learning through choosing project
briefs or topics which suit their personal interests. Most teaching staff also make good
use of learner feedback on classroom delivery approaches. This has had, on
occasions, an immediate impact on change for the better.
Most teaching staff use their professional and industrial knowledge well to ensure
learning is delivered in a motivating way. They illustrate concepts using appropriate
9
real-life examples and enrich the learning process with frequent reference to current
industry practice.
In most classes, teaching staff are flexible in their delivery and adapt their teaching
approaches to help support learners to understand complex ideas. However, in a few
classes teaching staff do not use a sufficiently broad range of learning and teaching
approaches to engage all learners. Most teaching staff take good account of the
individual needs of learners and work flexibly to accommodate learners’ personal
circumstances.
Teaching staff use the VLE well in many subject areas. However, effective use of the
VLE by teaching staff and learners is inconsistent across FE programmes. Whilst VLE
content for some curriculum areas is available, it is not well-developed across all
subjects. As a consequence, learners sometimes miss opportunities to develop
independence in learning, to reinforce their understanding or to catch up on missed
work.
Teaching staff and learners work well together to establish positive and respectful
relationships. Learners value highly the support given to them by almost all teaching
staff. Staff set appropriate standards in almost all classes and explain clearly their
expectations to learners. Most learners are confident about asking for clarification
about things they do not understand.
How well is assessment used to promote effective learning?
In most classes, teaching staff prepare learners well for assessment and encourage
them to participate in the assessment planning process. Almost all teaching staff are
responsive to learners’ needs and accommodate these effectively when scheduling
assessments.
Almost all teaching staff provide helpful oral and written feedback on assessed work on
a continuous basis. This helps to further improve the standard of learners’ work and to
promote learners’ reflection on their skills development. In most classes, teaching staff
use effective questioning techniques which encourage learners to reflect on their
progress while reinforcing their understanding.
Learners with additional support needs make good use of an appropriate range of
support services to help them prepare for assessment. The Learning Support Team
provide helpful additional support for learners where a need has been identified. Most
of these learners are aware of the special arrangements available including additional
time, use of scribes and alternative format assessments.
How well are potential and current learners provided with information, advice and
support?
Potential learners have ready access to information about the college and its curriculum
through the college website and prospectus. Increasingly effective channels of
communication with local schools have also ensured that young people attending school
are well informed about college provision.
10
PATs provide high-quality on-going guidance and support through weekly timetabled
guidance sessions. These sessions include helpful one-to-one discussions with
learners in order to reflect on how well learners are progressing, further improve their
standard of work and set learning or progression goals for the future. All learners feel
very well informed about options for progression, either through discussions with
teaching staff or with PATs. This is motivating for learners and helps them to identify
clearly their next steps.
The central college guidance team provides a wide range of useful support and advice
for learners. Dedicated link guidance advisors allocated to each programme team
identify and implement support quickly for individual learners. Most learners value the
helpful advice and guidance provided within the college. There are effective
arrangements in place for supporting the specific needs of individual learners including
the use of assistive technology.
How well does the college sustain continuous enhancement of learning and
teaching through self-evaluation and internal review activities?
Many learners provide helpful feedback to teaching staff either directly or through
informal class representative discussions. Learners also frequently raise issues about
programme delivery directly to PATs during one-to-one discussions. Many learners
participate in subject area focus groups carried out by the college Quality Team and
some participate in college questionnaires and surveys. Where feedback is provided
directly to teaching staff and PATs, or through subject focus groups, programme teams
usually use it well to inform actions that support improvement in programme delivery.
Most staff engage well in self-evaluation and internal review processes. However,
despite this, there is considerable room for improvement in a few curriculum areas.
Programme teams are aware of areas in need of further improvement and respond
positively to the support and challenge provided by senior managers through targeted
intervention arrangements. Almost all programme teams generate action plans for
improving the learner experience and monitor progress regularly. However, not all
actions are sufficiently specific which can makes progress difficult to measure.
Most teaching staff review and discuss learning and teaching regularly, in many
instances through informal interactions. Programme teams also meet more formally in
course committee meetings and use these opportunities well to review programme
delivery and share practice. Staff participate constructively in college conferences and
other targeted, continuing professional development (CPD) events. Increasing numbers
of staff are benefiting from the work of the Learning and Teaching Working Group which
actively promotes the principles of excellent learning and teaching. This group supports
teaching staff well through arranging a series of focused CPD sessions on a range of
relevant topics. Innovative approaches known as just add an egg and flipping the
classroom are helping to enhance learning and teaching. The college has recently
launched a Professional Development in Learning and Teaching (PDLT) process which
aims to support further the development of learning and teaching through classroom
observation.
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 highly committed to successful learner engagement. It is currently
finalising a Student Engagement Strategy and has clear plans in place to disseminate it
to staff and learners. The college has many constructive processes in place to elicit the
views of learners and use them to influence improvement. These include surveys,
subject area and college-wide focus groups and course committee meetings attended
by class representatives.
Many FE learners enhance their learning by developing project briefs and research
topics. This generates a sense of ownership amongst learners and develops their skills
in self-directed learning. For example, learners studying administration are actively
developing their own project brief for an enterprise unit. Learners in many classes also
influence learning and teaching approaches which greatly improves their motivation and
engagement in learning. Many teaching staff make good use of end-of-unit evaluations,
which help to highlight positive and less positive aspects of the learner experience.
The college has set out to improve the effectiveness of the class representative system.
There are now approximately 160 FE class representatives in place, a significant
increase over the past three years. The majority of them have undergone training
provided with support from sparqs which has helped them to develop relevant skills to
carry out their duties. Almost all learners are confident in raising concerns directly with
teaching staff. On occasions, discussion of class or programme delivery issues is
channelled effectively through the class representative. Many issues of concern are
resolved immediately at classroom level. In several programmes, feedback from
learners has resulted in changes for the better in programme design or delivery, such as
in sequencing and integration of units. Programme Development Managers (PDM) are
quick to respond to concerns raised through subject-area focus groups. Learner
suggestions and views also influence the approval processes when new programmes or
changes to programmes are being considered.
In a majority of programmes, class representatives contribute to course committee
meetings by providing collated learner views, either attending in person or providing
written feedback. In most instances, this feedback generates helpful responses from
staff and constructive actions to enhance programme delivery. However, a significant
number of course committee meetings and reports do not benefit from direct FE class
representative input, either through attendance or written submission of learner views.
Many FE class representatives are unaware that they are expected to attend these
meetings and provide the views of their classmates to these committees.
How well do learners engage in enhancing the work and life of the college?
ICSA is very well supported by college managers. Over the past few years, the
students’ association has enhanced its profile and influence significantly. It benefits
from prominently-located premises within the new building. Positive relationships and
open communication between ICSA executive officers and link members of the Senior
Management Team (SMT) ensure awareness amongst college managers of most key
issues affecting learners. The Student Partnership Agreement Action Plan signed
12
annually by the student president and the principal provides an effective framework for
joint working between the college and the students’ association. Members of ICSA
executive participate actively on most Board of Management and college committees
and working groups including the Academic Standards and Quality, Student Support
and Learning and Teaching committees which ensures that the views of learners are
highlighted and discussed. There are examples of change taking place directly as a
result of learner views being presented in college committees, particularly in the period
of settling in to the new building. The college responds sensitively to learner views
gathered through a range of college-wide processes, including surveys and focus
groups. These views contribute well to the development of programmes and most
service and support areas. For example, the college has a clear focus on learner
wellbeing and has brought in counselling provision as a result of reflecting on learner
requests.
ICSA runs the SRC which comprises monthly meetings of class representatives
attended by SMT members and the student engagement officer. This provides a direct
and helpful conduit by which learner views reach relevant college managers. Issues
raised at SRC meetings are addressed by the college through a helpful You Said We
Did action plan, communicated to learners on posters and on the ICSA website.
However, the number of class representatives attending SRC meetings has reduced
over the past year, though a few class representatives contribute learner views by email.
Furthermore, while almost all learners are aware of the existence of the students’
association, most have only limited awareness of its role in influencing improvement
through gathering and communicating learner views.
ICSA is helping learners to contribute to college life by recruiting volunteer student
ambassadors who facilitate college tours for prospective learners and schools. This
benefits both the college and its wider community. The students’ association has also
promoted a number of college-wide events for learners, including equality awareness
events and a disabled learners’ surgery, though these events are not always well
attended. The students’ association has supported the setting up of 12 sports and
special interest clubs and societies. This is addressing well the college priority of
developing a strong and vibrant learner community. It is also enabling learners to
develop skills in planning and delivering events. Many learners across all areas of the
college organise fundraising events and contribute to volunteering activities that
enhance the college’s reputation.
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7.
How well is the college led and how well is it enhancing the
quality of its services for learners and other stakeholders?
The college Strategic Plan for 2014-17 sets out clear and appropriate aims and
objectives. These reflect well key national and regional drivers and empower the
college to respond well to the needs of its various constituencies. Following a difficult
period in its history, many key concerns have been addressed successfully and the
college is now on track towards achieving its aims.
The college’s increasingly positive reputation amongst its stakeholders for the quality of
its work has enhanced its influence on local educational and economic developments.
These include the Inverness Campus Partnership and the Inverness City Region Deal.
The college has responded well to Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) initiatives
across Highland Region and joint working with local schools has improved significantly
over the past few years. It works closely with SDS and employers to provide training
programmes which address their needs and college managers have a strong
awareness of the Highlands and Islands Skills Investment Plan. The college also
contributes well to the Highland Council Community Planning Partnership and has
considerable involvement across the UHI partnership, including its contribution to
achieving the UHI Regional Outcome Agreement.
Since the appointment of the principal in 2013 and several new senior managers shortly
thereafter, an increasingly open, positive ethos has developed within the college. This
has resulted in high levels of commitment from staff to deliver the college’s strategic
aims. Operational planning across key college departments is effective and is
accompanied by robust monitoring of targets. The move to a new building in
August 2015 has greatly enhanced the working environment. The college is working
hard to ensure that the building meets fully the requirements of all subject areas and
that all staff adapt to the different working practices the new environment requires. The
Board of Management and college senior managers have a clear sense of direction for
the development of the curriculum. This is underpinned by effective curriculum planning
processes. The college makes good use of economic intelligence across different
industry sectors to make sure it is developing and delivering an appropriate range of
programmes. The principal and senior managers work positively with the Board of
Management and have led developments within the college very effectively. Members
of the SMT work together effectively, which has resulted in well-coordinated planning of
college strategies. PDMs and Programme Coordinators provide effective leadership
and support for programme teams.
The college has clear strategies in place for improving the learner experience and
ensuring that learners achieve programme aims. The Academic Management Group,
comprising senior and operational managers involved in curriculum delivery, monitors
progress on these strategies effectively. Improvement in learning and teaching is
underpinned by an appropriate Learning and Teaching Strategy, an ambitious
Framework for Excellent Learning and Teaching and the good work of the Learning and
Teaching Working Group. An annual staff conference is used creatively to involve all
staff in agreeing key priorities in learning and teaching. There is increasing staff
involvement in developing new approaches to learning and teaching, and many
occasions in which staff are able to consider good practice together. The recently
introduced PDLT classroom observation process has potential to further improve
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learning and teaching. There are effective arrangements in place for ensuring that all
staff have or acquire appropriate teaching qualifications.
The college is fully committed to providing effective services to support learners.
Several senior managers of support services are relatively new in post and have
embraced their responsibilities with enthusiasm and energy. They work very well
together and also enable strong team leadership of their different areas. This has
resulted in significant redesign of many services and effective coordination between
support and curriculum teams. Guidance staff also make increasingly good use of
external agencies to provide additional resource. This directly helps learners and has
also resulted in useful staff training in areas such as learner mental health.
Many support teams have used the views of learners well to inform change in processes
and continue to do so as they are refined. Support areas evaluate their provision
thoroughly, using aspects of the Customer Service Excellence and Investors in People
frameworks to ensure high quality service for learners. There are now effective
processes in place for areas such as college applications, learner records, data
management and quality assurance and improvement. The college recognises the
need to review services regularly and has a realistic programme in place for doing so.
However, at the time of the review, 145 learners had not yet completed the funding
application process, in some cases many months after commencing it, and had not yet
received funding. College attempts to resolve this situation and ensure these learners
are supported financially have not been successful. While the college has plans in
place to overhaul the process for FE learner funding, plans to address this specific issue
are not yet clear.
The college has a clear vision of the high standards at which it should operate. In a
relatively short space of time, it has significantly improved the quality of its work, though
the college recognises that there remains scope for improvement in some areas. It has
established reliable and workable processes for managing and analysing data, for selfevaluation and for reviewing and monitoring progress. There has been a largely
successful drive towards consistency of quality approaches across all curriculum areas,
supported by extensive training for relevant managers. Initiatives such as targeted
intervention for poorly-performing programmes and rapid improvement events have had
a positive impact on the learner experience.
Programme and curriculum area quality procedures are clear and well integrated. They
are structured around a logical quality calendar. Most staff and many learners engage
well in quality processes. Most programme and curriculum area self-evaluation reports
are reflective and relevant and include appropriate, though not always sufficiently
specific, actions for improvement. There are many constructive processes in place
across the college for learners to contribute their views, including the class
representative system, surveys and focus groups. However, arrangements for
programme self-evaluation reporting mean that learner views from the range of sources
used in the college are not collated or evidenced specifically as part of the process. As
a consequence, programme teams are unable to analyse key messages from learner
feedback or monitor actions to address any issues systematically enough.
15
The college has achieved significant improvement overall in full-time and part-time FE
successful outcomes over the past two years. It has also enhanced many other aspects
of college services and provision. However, a few programmes still have low success
rates, with very high levels of learner withdrawal in some. The college is actively
monitoring and supporting these areas.
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8.
How extensive and effective are college partnerships with
communities, other learning providers, employers and agencies?
Partnership working in the college is a major strength. The college’s proactive external
focus has resulted in highly productive links with several local and national
organisations. This is benefiting learners and making a positive contribution to the
industrial base in the Highlands.
Partnership initiatives involve employers, schools, national agencies and the local
authority. Employers play a particularly important role in the college, by contributing
positively to curriculum design and evaluation through Curriculum Advisory Groups.
The college enterprise team runs a successful annual business-sponsored competition,
UHI Business Idea, backed by Business Gateway and Bridge to Business. Many local
companies offer useful work placements to college learners and also benefit from
high-quality bespoke training delivered to their employees. The college has developed
successful 12-week Employability Fund programmes for unemployed learners in
partnership with SDS and a locally-based global information technology company.
Approximately 70% of the learners completing the programme have progressed to
employment.
The college has forged increasingly effective relationships with local schools over the
past few years. This has had a positive impact on school-college partnership
programmes and also on the future vision of full-time provision. A number of
school-college programmes include National Progression Awards which provide clear
pathways to Modern Apprenticeships in the region’s key industry sectors. The college is
building further on its positive partnership working with SDS and Young Scot, to ensure
a clear and relevant emphasis on promoting science, technologies, engineering and
mathematics opportunities to potential learners.
A joint equalities working group between the college and The Highland Council has
supported effective joint promotion of access and inclusion. The college application
process has been revised to further encourage disclosure of additional support needs
and also disclosure by care experienced young people. The college provides a
guaranteed interview to all care experienced applicants. The college interview and
selection process has also been revised to provide further opportunities and
encouragement for disclosure at various points in the applicant journey.
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9.
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 Effective partnership working between college and school
College staff have pioneered an innovative and successful partnership approach to
delivering the National Certificate Activity Tourism programme at SCQF level 6 with
Kingussie High School. This is providing a highly effective model of delivery of full NC
programmes as an integrated part of the senior phase curriculum. The initiative has
been developed to address the specific needs of young people in S5 and S6, many of
whom have a keen interest in outdoor activities. In 2014-15, 14 pupils took part. The
programme provides them with an enhanced understanding of employment
opportunities in the growing area of activity tourism and helps them to identify pathways
for further study. The initiative addresses very well the aspirations of DYW in the
region, and ensures that education and training is directly related to key developments
in the local economy.
College and school staff share the delivery of the programme. School teaching staff
deliver the classroom based elements of the qualification, with support and moderation
provided by college teaching staff. College staff deliver the outdoor activity elements in
a range of local locations. Activities include rock climbing, ski-ing, hill walking, biking
and orienteering. This enables the young people to experience activities in real-life
situations, which makes learning both challenging and enjoyable. The learning is
enhanced through the active engagement of several local businesses and
organisations. This has resulted in the design of real-life projects, provision of
high-quality resources and very helpful support for staff.
College and school staff have worked constructively together to ensure that planning of
learning and assessment is well coordinated. Effective integration of units and
assessments is ensuring that the available time for delivering the programme is
maximised. Practical and theoretical elements relate well to each other and both retain
a strong focus on employability. The VLE is used effectively as a communication portal
for both staff and learners. Successful completion rates on the programme were 92% in
2014-15, and many young people have increased their motivation to engage with
learning as a result of taking part. The programme has continued into the current year
and there are plans in place to deliver similar qualifications in other subject areas.
9.2
Staff engagement with improvement of college processes
College senior managers have addressed key procedural issues which were having a
negative impact on learners. They developed a method of using the collective views of
staff and learners to identify the reasons behind procedural problems, develop solutions
and ensure immediate improvement.
Starting in 2013, the college facilitated a series of events involving mixed focus groups
of staff and learners. Facilitators used the Customer Service Excellence framework to
map key issues identified from sources such as the all-staff conference, learner
questionnaires and analysis of complaints. This has ensured a clear focus on the
18
needs of customers, for example learners. Importantly, it has enabled all participants to
identify objectively where current college processes either match or run counter to
recognised best practice. This has helped everyone to identify ways of aligning college
practices with those of the best organisations. Event facilitators also provided clear
diagrammatical illustrations of college process flowcharts and interdependencies.
These ensured that participants had a clear understanding of the rationale behind
different processes before they proposed changes to them. Facilitators structured
discussions so that while participants shared their individual perspectives, they primarily
generated creative and realistic solutions to problems. This open-ended, collaborative
way of working has been critical to the success of the events. It has ensured that
everyone’s views have been heard and people have felt confident in challenging the
status quo. Furthermore, the clear focus on improvements to the learner experience
has had the effect of pulling everyone together and channelling all discussions towards
one end point.
A further success factor of the project was that college senior managers endorsed and
implemented very quickly many of the changes which were proposed by participants.
This impacted immediately and positively on, for example, admission procedures,
learner induction and on-line programme resulting. It also identified longer-term issues,
such as timetabling and room utilisation, which have become live projects for those
undertaking leadership training. This rapid response aspect has been a major
contributor to re-building staff confidence in college management and to staff
engagement with constructive, well-informed solutions. Most importantly, the learner
experience of college services in several areas has improved significantly over the past
few years.
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10. 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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11. 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
12. 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 https://www.inverness.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
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13. 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/InvernessCollege.asp .
If you would like to receive this report in a different format, for example, in a translation
please contact the administration team on 0131 244 5684.
If you want to give us feedback or make a complaint about our work, please contact us
by telephone on 0131 244 4330, 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.
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 2016
Education Scotland
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Appendix 1
Glossary of terms
CPD
DYW
FE
HM
ICSA
NC
PAT
PDLT
PDM
QAA
SCQF
SDS
SFC
SMT
sparqs
SRC
UHI
UHIMI
VLE
wSUM
Continuing Professional Development
Developing the Young Workforce
Further Education
Her Majesty’s
Inverness College Student’s Association
National Certificate
Personal Academic Tutor
Professional Development in Learning and Teaching
Programme Development Manager
Quality Assurance Agency
Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework
Skills Development Scotland
Scottish Funding Council
Senior Management Team
student participation in quality Scotland
Student Representative Council
University of the Highlands and Island
University of the Highlands and Islands Millennium Institute
Virtual Learning Environment
weighted Student Unit of Measurement
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Appendix 2
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