Minutes of the Extra-Ordinary
STANDARDS COMMITTEE
held on
Wednesday 30 April 2014 at 3.30pm
in Meeting Room 1 /
MembersMrs Jill Baker*(Chair)
Mr Ray Goy*Principal
Mrs Michelle Hall*Business Support Staff Governor
Mrs Lynda Hammond*Teaching Staff Governor
Mrs Claire HackettGovernor
Mr Peter Matthews*Governor
Mr Andy Walmsley*Governor
* Present
In AttendanceMrs Debi DonnarummaVice Principal, Standards & Learning
Mrs Elise ScotfordClerk
Mrs Ann Wheatley*Assistant Principal, Information & Planning
The meeting started at 3.30pm
ACTION1/3/14 / Apologies
Apologies were received from Claire Hackett (holiday) and Ann Wheatley (ill).
2/3/14 / Declarations of Interest
There were no declarations of interest.
3/3/14 / Self-Assessment Report – Position Statement updates
Programme Managers from the following departments attended to give an update on their Position Statements to Governors.
Each Programme Manager was asked to highlight 3 positive issues and 1-2 areas for improvement within their Programme Area.
Engineering – Karl Stevens
Positives:
-Student numbers (applications) are up this year for September, throughout the programme area.
-Progression is strong from L1-L5, Between L2-L3 mechanisms are in place to help students to move forwards
-HE is growing
Governors noted that attendance figures are good, currently above 85%, and asked what action is taken with the students whose attendance levels drop below 85%. The Programme Manager explained the action taken. Excellent attendance is rewarded.
Governors asked what else they could do to help the department. The Programme Manager said their Link Governor, Peter Matthews, was an excellent link,he worked well with the department, was involved and supportive.
Governors asked how far the department had improved the students’ attainment through stretch and challenge. The Programme Manager said it gave students other skills outside their curriculum area which was a valuable addition for their CV.
Areas for improvement:
-Staffing – getting staff with the appropriate qualifications and experience remains challenging.
-HE - Co-ordinator needed to look after HE.
-Resources – opportunities are available with Jaguar Land Rover and Aston Martin, plus bodywork companies in Coventry, but they are looking for a different type of apprentice which requires different skills. Meeting this demand would require a lot of investment by the College
Overall there are opportunities for growth in the department.
The Chair thanked the Programme Manager for their presentation.
Catering – Chris Bond
Positives:
-High attendance – 95%+. Students are keen and motivated to attend lessons
-Grade 2 achieved, 4 outstanding full-time lecturers
-Purchased Hodder Learning Package enabling online and video learning outside the classroom.
-Competition team formed – enter competitions, medals won.
-75% of the L2 students have jobs which will lead to full-time employment, L1 students are getting jobs too.
-Good links with Coventry businesses and Hilton Hotels.
-Erasmus project – details outlined by C Bond.
-Savoy Trust project – details outlined by C Bond.
Areas for improvement:
-Investment – the area and equipment needs updating to reflect present industry standards. Area needs to be refitted in the next couple of years and all areas refurbished.
-Move towards the use of more technology Ipads, etc., particularly in the kitchens.
Governors asked if all students had an opportunity to engage in the competition team. The Programme Manager said they did. The experience was very motivational for students. The criteria for selecting members of the competition team was based as much on drive and commitment as ability.
Governors asked if the 4 outstanding lecturers in the department would be willing to be involved in promoting outstanding teaching across the College. The Programme Manager confirmed they would be keen to share their skills and ideas of best practice.
Governors were pleased to note the details of the Erasmus project. It would allow students the opportunity to experience new cultures.
The College noted the excellent pre-16 work taking place, the vast majority of which, 20, had been retained.
The Programme Manager pointed out that another hotel group were looking for 30 students.
The College drew Governors’ attention to the excellent growth in apprenticeships – 9 referrals. There was a real sense of growth and excitement in this programme area.
The Chair thanked the Programme Manager for their presentation.
Media and Creative Arts – Tom Harvey
Positives:
-Attendance – up 5% over the year, largely due to the commitment of the whole team in following up students. Methods used to follow up and improve attendance explained.
-Lateness – methods adopted to improving students’ timekeeping outlined.
-Maths and English – the students have been streamed this year to ensure they are taught at the right level. This has resulted in better appreciation of the subjects by students.
-Teaching and Learning – a number of subtle improvements being made, more work to be done with the aim of achieving more Grade 1s next year.
-Quality assurance – improving, increased rigour in internal verification processes. The team recognise it is useful in improving quality.
Areas for improvement:
-Creative Arts – staff are usually more highly qualified, e.g. approx. 67% have degrees so enter at post degree level meaning there are less work experience opportunities available. However, various recent initiatives have takenplace to address this: Channel 4’s 4 talent day held at the College; increased opportunities with Coventry Telegraph; staff photographer working with the students.
Governors asked what participation had been like from those learners taking GCSE English. The Programme Manager said all had been asked to upgrade their work with varying degrees of interest from the students. More work to be done to help students appreciate the benefits of upgrading their qualification.
The Chair thanked the Programme Manager for their presentation.
Access to HE – David Porter
Positives:
-Transition for Access courses – average age of students is 30, most go on to Health and Social Sciences.
-Teaching and Learning standards in lessons – last year 57%, this year 83% - demonstrates a measurable improvement in teaching.
-Applications going well - Access provision undergoing significant change at the moment butfunding for 24+ adult loans seems to have gone well and not dissuaded learners.
Areas for improvement:
-Retention of students and ultimate success – generally students have not got a good education record prior to joining
-Support for adult learners who are often older, have families and are working – tutorial system used but additional support needs to be provided
Governors asked what support was available for dyslexia students – were they self-diagnosed or did the College test them. The College said identification of dyslexia sufferers varied, some self-declared, some were identified by the College. Some were assessed internally in the College and others were referred to educational psychologists. Support techniques were explained. Those students who were identified and had additional support achieved measurably better results.
Governors noted the high retention rates of 91%. The College said that the students recognised and appreciated the level of support and care the department provided.
Governors noted the department’s effective handling of learner feedback.
The Chair thanked the Programme Manager for their presentation.
ESOL – Jane Owens
Positives:
-Success rates – well above national average. The department was graded 1 overall for the SAR in every area.
-Teaching, learning and assessment –PAIR assessment w/c 17 March had awarded a Grade 1 overall, a particular feature was teaching and learning and comments were made about the committed, objective and self-motivated staff. 88% of observations were Grade 1 or 2. 8 outstanding grades, 6 good, 2 required improvement.
-Widening participation – the department has worked hard and has been successful in engaging with the hard to reach learners, examples given.
Governors noted that 5 groups had closed and students transferred to other courses. The College said that a review of the courses had identified that the curriculum needed to be redesigned to make the courses more viable. Class sizes were being closely monitored. On some occasions evening classes, for example, had been full but then drop-out rates had made the class not viable. Where that had happened most students had been transferred on to other courses and the lecturer’s time reallocated.
Governors noted this was a particularly challenging group of learners and asked what steps the department took to encourage students to attend. The College explained the system in place which required students to notify the College when they were absent. Steps were also taken to address lateness. Reward scheme was in place for those with the best attendance. Overall suitability of the programme for learners was reviewed. All these measures had proven effective.
Governors noted the high ethnic mix in the department and asked what steps were taken to ensure the College was effectively dealing with all equality and diversity issues. The College explained the measures in place to promote a culture of respect and understanding, e.g. getting the students to learn each other’s languages; holding a Culture Day.
Governors asked how successful the department was in preparing students for employment. The College said: they responded to many reference requests; the Enterprise and Employability Week was focused on work preparation: interviews, CV writing, etc. The College pointed out that often those students who left the course did so because they had found jobs, this reflected negatively on the statistics so a method needed to be found to record this more appropriately.
Areas for improvement:
-Class sizes need to be carefully monitored.
-Outreach capacity – need to manage the tension between widening participation and keeping the class sizes viable.
The Chair thanked the Programme Manager for their presentation.
Review of the meeting’s process
Governors comments were:
-It had been a useful process
-Non staff Governors did not feel sufficiently prepared to ask the right questions. It was suggested that a ½ hour pre-meeting would be useful preparation time.
-Good to focus on key issues in the department areas.
-Good opportunity to thank the staff for their efforts.
-Template needed to be devised to allow consistent style of presentation,highlighting areas for focus.
-Method for reviewing the Position Statements – Governors favoured setting aside the first 15 minutes of regular Standards Committee meetings for this purpose followed by the formal Committee meeting.
-Good opportunity for Governors to directly engage with the Programme Managers.
4/3/14 / Any Other Business
There was no other business.
5/3/14 / Specific Items for highlighting to the Corporation
Circulate minutes for information.
6/3/14 / Exclusions from publication
There were no exclusions.
7/3/14 / Date and time of next meeting
Wednesday 21 May 2014, 4.30pm
The meeting closed at 5.05pm.
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