Education Scotland
Inspection of private further
education colleges and English language schools
International House Aberdeen
130 Union Street
ABERDEEN
AB10 1JJ
17 October 2012
The inspection process
This inspection report follows the quality framework for the Inspection arrangements for
private further education colleges and English language schools in Scotland, April 2012.
The inspection normally lasts for three days. Over the three-day period, the inspection
team:
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•
•
•
•
engage with learners;
observe episodes of learning and teaching and provide feedback to each member
of teaching staff or other learning facilitator on strengths and areas for further
development;
conduct interviews and undertake other activity required to determine the extent of
concordance between documentary evidence and practice;
evaluate evidence against the 11 reference quality indicators; and
identify key strengths and areas for further development for the organisation.
Education Scotland is an approved educational oversight body authorised by the UK
Border Agency (UKBA) to inspect private further education colleges and English
language schools in Scotland.
Inspections are arranged under three high-level questions which Education Scotland is
adopting for evaluative purposes:
How well are learners progressing and achieving relevant, high quality
outcomes?
How effective are the organisation’s learning and teaching processes?
How effective are the organisation’s leadership and quality culture?
Education Scotland inspections are designed to:
•
support and promote quality enhancement in organisations to provide the best
possible experience for the learner;
•
provide information to UKBA, when required, on the quality of organisations and
the learning experience they provide;
•
provide an independent evaluation to assist organisations in informing prospective
and current learners of the quality of the organisation’s programmes and services;
•
evaluate organisations against the Education Scotland quality framework,
March 2012; and
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complement organisation-led internal review and self-evaluation.
Inspection provides objective and reliable reports on the quality of education provision in
schools and colleges, and by placing reports in the public domain, makes this
information available to learners, Government and the wider community. Inspection
takes account of the context of each individual school or college, and of how it
evaluates its own performance and demonstrates its success.
The inspection of the school or college is from an educational perspective and provides
limited inspection of other aspects; though inspectors will comment on any significant
hazards or problems they encounter which have an adverse impact on learners. The
inspection does not include:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
an exhaustive health and safety audit;
an in-depth examination of the structural condition of the school or college estate,
its services or other physical features;
an investigation of the financial viability of the school or college or its accounting
procedures; and
an in-depth investigation of the school’s or college’s compliance with employment
law.
This report contains effectiveness statements that express the inspection team’s overall
evaluation of learner progress and outcomes, learning and teaching processes and
leadership and quality culture.
The report also uses the following terms to describe numbers and proportions:
almost all
most
majority
more than a few
few
over 90%
75-90%
50-74%
15-49%
up to 15%
Grades are awarded in THREE areas:
• Learner progress and outcomes
• Learning and teaching processes
• Leadership and quality culture
Inspectors use a 4-point grading scale:
• Very good – major strengths
• Good – strengths outweigh areas for further development
• Weak – some important areas for further development
• Unsatisfactory - major areas for further development
Contents
1. Introduction
Page
1
The organisation and its context
1
The inspection
2
2. Effectiveness of the organisation
3
3. Executive summary
4
Strengths
4
Areas for further development
4
4. How well are learners progressing and achieving relevant,
high quality outcomes?
5
5. How effective are the organisation’s learning and teaching
processes?
6
6. How effective are the organisation’s leadership and quality
culture?
8
7. What happens next?
9
8. How can you contact us?
9
Appendices
10
Glossary of terms
10
The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework
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1.
Introduction
The organisation and its context
In carrying out the inspection of International House Aberdeen, Education Scotland took
the following context fully into account.
International House Aberdeen is one of 150 private and independently owned language
schools, affiliated to the International House World Organisation brand, operating in
50 countries. The school is small, privately-owned and before its association with
International House in 2010, was known as English for Everyone. English for Everyone
was registered with Companies House in 2008.
The school operates from premises in Union Street in Aberdeen. Learning takes place
within the school’s seven classrooms and learners have access to a small library and
computer suite to support their studies. Most classrooms are equipped with Information
and Communications Technology (ICT) resources to support learning. The
accommodation also includes a student common room.
The school offers general English language programmes, tailored to the requirements of
individual learners. It also offers preparation programmes for external examinations for
learners who wish to progress onto higher education. The school’s programmes are
based on the Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR).
International House Aberdeen received UKBA highly trusted sponsor status in 2010 and
was accredited by the British Council in 2009.
The school director is responsible for all the school’s operations. An assistant school
director and two recently-appointed posts of director of studies and assistant director of
studies support her. There is an administrative team which has responsibility for sales
and marketing, welfare, accommodation, enrolment and registration.
At the time of the inspection there were 73 learners in the school, from a wide range of
nationalities, but mostly from European Union countries.
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The inspection
The inspection by Education Scotland took place during the week commencing
3 September 2012.
We examined learning and teaching and other important activities that impact on the
quality of the learner experience. We evaluated these against learner progress and
outcomes, learning and teaching processes and leadership and quality culture using the
11 reference quality indicators outlined in Inspection arrangements for private further
education colleges and English language schools in Scotland, April 2012. We used
information submitted in advance by the organisation to decide the scope of the
inspection. The inspection team talked with learners and staff at all levels in the
organisation.
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2.
Effectiveness of the organisation
The following are holistic judgements made by Education Scotland on the basis of the
inspection activities which took place in September 2012. These judgements relate to
learner progress and outcomes, learning and teaching processes and leadership and
quality culture.
International House Aberdeen is effective:
•
learners are progressing well and achieving relevant, high quality outcomes;
•
the school has in place high quality learning and teaching processes; and
•
the school has in place effective leadership for learning and teaching and
quality culture.
Standards
Grade awarded
Learner progress and outcomes
good
Learning and teaching processes
good
Leadership and quality culture
good
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3.
Executive summary
Strengths:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Retention rates are high for learners on all programmes.
All learners are making good progress from prior learning and gain confidence in the
use of English.
Learners make good progress during lessons and work cooperatively and
enthusiastically when completing tasks.
Most teaching approaches engage learners well and keep them focused on a range
of pre-planned learning activities.
Teaching staff acknowledge and promote effectively a range of inter-cultural themes
and topics during teaching sessions.
Teaching staff make very good use of well-structured written feedback to learners.
Learners benefit from well-planned, informative induction arrangements.
Staff understand their roles and responsibilities for quality enhancement and engage
well in internal review activities.
Areas for further development:
•
The school should improve arrangements for tracking and recording learner
progress.
•
Teaching staff should reduce reliance on text books and make more use of ICT and
levels of differentiation during lessons.
•
Teaching staff should use learner profiles when planning lessons and ensure
learners actively contribute to planning of learning activities.
•
Teaching staff should ensure learners set goals and targets and reflect on their own
learning.
•
The school should ensure self-evaluation and Programme reports are clear and
contain SMART targets against which to measure progress.
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4.
How well are learners progressing and achieving relevant, high
quality outcomes?
Learners are progressing well and achieving relevant, high quality outcomes.
Strengths outweigh areas for further development.
How effective is the organisation at achieving and maintaining high levels of
retention, attainment and achievement for all learners?
Retention rates are high for learners on all programmes and have been maintained at
this level for the last three years. On completion of their programme, all learners
receive a certificate confirming their attendance and level of study undertaken.
However, the college does not monitor learner achievement systematically. This makes
it difficult to identify and record the success of all learners over time. Most learners
undertaking International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and Cambridge
examination programmes make good progress and succeed when entered for external
examinations. Attainment rates for learners on these programmes have improved in the
last year.
How well do programmes meet the needs of learners?
The school offers an appropriate range of English Language programmes in line with
the CEFR that meet the needs of learners well. It also offers programmes which
prepare learners for examinations and progression onto university. An effective
pre-registration process, induction and levelling interview ensures that transition to
programmes accurately identifies appropriate levels of study. A well-devised,
family-friendly social programme supports the embedding of equality and diversity in all
programmes. Equality and diversity is embedded well into the ethos of the school.
Through completed questionnaires, learners confirm high levels of satisfaction with their
programmes. However, the school’s approach to the promotion of sustainability issues
is underdeveloped.
How well do learners make progress, attain qualifications and awards and
achieve more widely?
All learners are making good progress from prior learning. They gain confidence in
spoken English, improve their vocabulary and acquire a good understanding of the use
of grammar. Learners develop and enhance their learning through a range of social
and academic options including a well-designed social programme and a small number
of volunteering opportunities. Learners develop effectively the skills of global citizenship
through discussions with teaching staff and other learners. They benefit from social
events including an international food day where they prepare and share food from their
country of origin. Through organised visits, locally and further afield, learners improve
their English speaking and listening skills and enhance their self-confidence.
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5.
How effective are the organisation’s learning and teaching
processes?
The school has in place high quality learning and teaching processes. Strengths
outweigh areas for further development.
How well do learners learn?
Learners make good progress during lessons. They work cooperatively and
enthusiastically when completing tasks and demonstrate high levels of concentration
and application. All learners are confident in the use of dictionaries and text books and
use them well to support the development of English language skills. Learners develop
independent learning skills effectively through active engagement with other learners,
group work and through peer assessment activities. Learners are well prepared for
external assessments. They develop and enhance their confidence and understanding
of effective examination techniques. All learners enhance and improve their English
language skills through a range of individual exercises and group-based activities.
How well does teaching and the use of resources ensure effective learning?
Most teaching approaches engage learners well and keep them focused on a range of
pre-planned learning activities. Staff respond well to issues raised by learners, to
reinforce key learning points and clarify language and grammar. Most staff make good
use of a range of teaching resources during lessons, including use of whiteboards,
handouts, set texts and phonetic posters. However, some teaching staff are
over-dependent on the use of text books and provide insufficient levels of differentiation
during lessons. Overall, staff make insufficient use of ICT during lessons to enhance
learning and teaching. All staff use feedback effectively to promote achievement and
standards in the development of English language skills.
How effective is the context and planning for learning and teaching?
Relationships between learners and staff are mutually respectful. Teaching staff
acknowledge and promote effectively a range of inter-cultural themes and topics during
teaching sessions. Overall, lessons are well planned and include a variety of teaching
approaches and activities. However, learner profiles are not used effectively in planning
of learning and there is insufficient contribution made by learners to the planning of
learning activities. The environment for learning is clean, bright and stimulating, with
the majority of classrooms equipped with data projector and computer to support
learning and teaching. Learners make good use of a small library containing general
interest and academic texts and a number of DVDs to support private study. Learners
benefit from a computer suite with a range of online resources to consolidate and
extend learning further.
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How well does the organisation use assessment to promote effective learning?
For most learners, teaching staff plan assessment well. During lessons, they test
learners regularly and provide helpful oral feedback on their achievement and areas for
development. Teaching staff make very good use of well-structured, written feedback to
advise learners on their progress, through evaluative commentary on worksheets and
homework. Teaching staff check learners’ understanding regularly through effective
use of targeted questioning. This helps learners to make progress and enhance further
their spoken English skills. Learners are well-prepared for IELTS examinations and
develop examination techniques through helpful feedback from teaching staff,
completion of practice examinations and individual self-reflection.
How well does the organisation provide potential learners and learners with
relevant information, guidance and support to enhance access, retention and
learning?
All learners receive accurate and useful information about the school and studying in
Scotland through external agents, the school website or direct communication with
school staff. Learners benefit from well-planned, informative induction arrangements.
Informal discussions, held with school staff and fellow learners, ensure that new
learners settle quickly into the school and their programme. During lessons teaching
staff informally support learners to identify areas of strength and further development.
However, formal arrangements for learners to set goals and targets and to reflect on
their learning are not yet fully effective. School staff are supportive and accessible to
learners. Arrangements for pastoral care are effective.
How well does the organisation sustain continuous improvement and
enhancement through self-evaluation and internal review activities?
Learners provide helpful commentary on their experiences through completion of
questionnaires and attendance at focus group meetings. Class representatives ensure
that learners’ comments and suggestions inform programme self-evaluation. Overall,
these comments are positive and supportive with learners expressing high levels of
satisfaction with their learning experiences. Helpful comments from learners are used
by staff to improve and enhance social and academic programmes. Teaching staff
meet regularly and discuss a number of programme-related issues to identify areas for
improvement. Through completed Programme reports, academic staff evaluate their
programmes and identify areas for improvement or development. However, resulting
plans are not always clear, and do not contain SMART targets against which to
measure progress.
7
6.
How effective are the organisation’s leadership and quality
culture?
The school has in place effective leadership for learning and teaching and quality
culture. Strengths outweigh areas for further development.
How effective is the leadership for learning and teaching?
The school director has a clear vision for the school and the development of the
curriculum. This is communicated effectively through a comprehensive employee
handbook and during discussions with staff. Arrangements to enhance and develop
further approaches to learning and teaching are well-developed. Teaching staff benefit
from classroom observations which helps them to improve their teaching practice and
encourages self-reflection on their teaching approaches. Managers provide strong and
effective team leadership. Teaching staff are supported well in their roles through
effective classroom observation, internal communication and in-house continuing
professional development. Staff are enthusiastic and well motivated and share a clear
understanding of the development of the school and its curriculum.
How effective is the organisation in developing and maintaining a quality culture?
Learners engage well in internal review activities through completed questionnaires and
participate effectively in focus group and programme team meetings. Staff understand
their roles and responsibilities for quality enhancement and engage enthusiastically in
internal review activities. However, currently, managers and staff do not document well
programme self-evaluation and resulting action plans. This limits the effectiveness of
long-term planning. During monthly meetings with the director of studies, teaching staff
provide helpful feedback and suggestions for improvement. Support staff meet
fortnightly to identify how their services can be improved further. A recently-held Team
alignment day, attended by all staff, evaluated the school provision and identified
actions for improvement.
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7.
What happens next?
This inspection report is valid for four years.
Education Scotland may engage at regular intervals to monitor progress, if invited by
the organisation.
Any significant material change within the organisation should be reported to Education
Scotland immediately.
Andrew Brawley
HM Inspector
Education Scotland
8.
How can you contact us?
If you would like a printed copy of this report
This report has been produced as a web-only publication and is available on our
website at www.educationscotland.gov.uk. This supports the sustainability of natural
resources and the Scottish Government’s Greener Scotland agenda. Copies of the
report can be printed for individual use. Please contact the Business Management and
Communications Team (BMCT) if you wish to enquire about our arrangements for
translated text or copies of this report in other formats.
If you wish to comment about any of our reviews, contact us at
enquiries@educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk or alternatively you should write in the first
instance to BMCT, Education Scotland, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park,
Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA.
You can find our complaints procedure on our website or alternatively you can contact
our Complaints Manager, at the address above or by telephoning 01506 600259.
Crown Copyright 2012
Education Scotland
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Appendix 1
Glossary of terms
CEFR
HNC
HND
ICT
IELTS
SCQF
UKBA
Common European Framework of Reference for languages
Higher National Certificate
Higher National Diploma
Information and Communication Technology
International English Language Testing System
Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework
UK Border Agency
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Appendix 2
The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework
The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) brings together all Scottish
mainstream qualifications into a single unified framework. The framework includes:
degree provision, HNC and HND, SQA National Qualifications, and SVQs. There are
12 levels ranging from Access 1 at SCQF level 1 to Doctoral degree at SCQF level 12.
Each qualification whether a unit, group of units or larger group award has also been
allocated a number of SCQF credits. Each credit represents 10 notional hours of
required learning. Doctoral degrees based on a thesis are an exception to this.
Other learning may be credit rated and included in the framework provided it leads to a
clear set of learning outcomes and has quality-assured learner assessment. All of
Scotland’s colleges were awarded SCQF Credit Rating powers in January 2007.
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