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Ayrshire College

2018 Full Inspection Report
Areas for Development
  • During evaluation sessions some staff identified that they require more support to deal with the complex multiple barriers to learning students present with, such as mental health issues and the impact of adverse childhood experiences.
  • Campaigns to support improved gender balance in traditionally imbalanced areas have yet to demonstrate sufficient impact. The curriculum areas of Construction, Hairdressing, Care and Engineering need to further action to address the gender imbalance.
  • Retention rates for FE and HE full-time are lower than the national average.
  • HE full-time successful outcomes have been below the national average for the last three years.
  • Success rates for priority student groups such as care experienced students and those with a declared disability are below the College average.
  • A few curriculum teams have not fully embedded and contextualised core skills delivery to their vocational area.
  • A small number of curriculum areas do not take full advantage of the extensive employer engagement to provide students work-based placement opportunities or guest lectures to enhance the learning experience.
  • Achievement rates for some apprenticeship frameworks are lower than the sector average.
  • A range of CPD opportunities are provided for all staff to remain up-to-date in their teaching practice, however some curriculum staff do not take full advantage of these opportunities.
  • A few curriculum staff have yet to fully develop the potential of digital learning and assessment in the delivery of the curriculum to enhance the learning experience.
  • A few curriculum teams do not reflect on and evaluate learning and teaching approaches sufficiently well.
  • The Board has recruited seven new members for session 2018-19 who will require support and development to understand the operating context of the College.
  • Feedback from Education Scotland highlighted that in a few curriculum areas, there is an inconsistent approach to the management and administration of course team meetings, which is a missed opportunity for staff to initiate and implement improvement measures.
  • Team evaluation activity highlighted that there is limited ownership of student attendance and unit performance data by a few lecturers, resulting in insufficient analysis of the reasons for student withdrawals.

Report Recommendations