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2023 Full Inspection Report

What does the provider do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders and governors are passionate about tackling social inequality through education and training. They rightly pride themselves in offering a range of inclusive, accessible and challenging learning opportunities to the communities in East Kent.

Governors, leaders and staff are highly ambitious for all learners and apprentices irrespective of their starting points, particularly for those with high needs or from disadvantaged groups. They place a high priority on learning and progression to ensure that learners and apprentices complete their studies and move on to their desired next steps, which most do.

Leaders, managers and staff use their extensive links with employers effectively to plan and teach curriculums that contribute to plugging local and regional skills gaps. For example, in level 3 engineering, the curriculum covers the highly sought-after skills of 3-D modelling and simulation alongside more traditional skills. As a result, learners and apprentices are well prepared for employment.

Managers and staff carefully consider the needs of their learners when planning courses. Staff have planned and teach curriculums in the specialist supported learning programmes which are highly ambitious for learners. Covering from pre-entry level to entry level 3, they prepare learners well for their planned destinations. Learners move on to vocational learning, employment preparation programmes, supported internships, or community work and social care.

Leaders and managers work extremely well with employers to plan and teach a range of apprenticeships that respond to local needs. For example, leaders started offering apprenticeships in team leading in response to a local hospital needing to develop staff with no prior management experience into team-leading positions. Leaders and managers involve employers in choosing additional learning or qualifications for their apprentices and in reviewing their progress. Employers highly value that their employees develop the exact knowledge, skills and behaviours that they need for their current and future job roles.

Leaders and managers have designed ambitious and adaptable adult learning courses in a variety of pathways. Learners with a wide range of starting points gain the skills and knowledge they need to access university courses, return to the workplace or settle in the UK. For example, in a work programme specific to the NHS, job seekers develop their knowledge and skills for work, such as rights and responsibilities at work and interview skills. Learners gain the confidence to apply for job opportunities in the NHS, which many do successfully.

Teachers are highly experienced and qualified in their subjects. They use their expertise to present information and demonstrate skills clearly. For example, teachers in access to higher education courses explain difficult concepts thoroughly. As a result, learners quickly develop an understanding of the technical language used in biology, psychology and healthcare, which they use confidently and fluently in their work.

Most teachers use useful and relevant strategies such as recapping, quick-fire quizzes and mock exams to help learners commit their learning to long-term memory. Most teachers are skilled at using questioning to check learners’ understanding and tackle misconceptions. For example, teachers in animal care use short questionnaires and tailor question-and-answer sessions skilfully to the level of their group. Learners receive focused and helpful feedback on their work that enables them to understand how to improve it. For example, in bricklaying, teachers give ongoing feedback on learners’ placing of bricks and blockwork so that they can position wall ties correctly.

Teachers and support staff across all colleges work well together to support learners with additional learning needs successfully throughout their studies. They communicate with each other frequently to ensure that any required support arrangements are in place and to monitor learners’ progress, including against education, health and care (EHC) targets for those with EHC plans. As a result, staff have a thorough and comprehensive overview of learners’ progress and can plan any additional adjustments or support needed so that these learners can continue to make the progress of which they are capable.

Most staff are very proud to work for the group. Teachers and support staff benefit from a broad range of focused professional development. They frequently update their vocational skills and teaching practice, which improves the quality of teaching for learners and apprentices. Teachers complete useful training on behaviour management, effective assessment methods, developing English and mathematics skills in vocational lessons, Makaton and understanding autism spectrum disorder, among others. Numerous teachers have gained their teaching qualifications and specialist expertise while working at the college group.

Learners and apprentices benefit from high-quality careers advice and first-hand experience of the world of work that helps them make informed choices about their futures. Staff ensure that learners, including those with high needs, benefit from valuable and meaningful work experience. Most placements are directly related to the industries in which learners aspire to work. Staff work carefully with employers to ensure that learners with high needs studying vocational programmes carry out their work experience in settings that will nurture and support their needs effectively. As a result, learners gain valuable insights into their chosen careers and become aware of the range of job roles available to them.

Most learners recognise and value individual differences and often take opportunities to promote equality. They consider carefully the impact that diversity may have on their chosen specialism. For example, creative media learners consider different target audiences, such as those with an interest in sustainability and those who are neurodiverse, when designing their projects.

Leaders, managers and teachers have developed an extensive and high-quality range of social, voluntary and community activities at all colleges that enhance learners’ curriculums. For example, music learners plan and run music concerts and events, catering learners visit exceptionally high quality restaurants to sample food and service, and sport learners receive talks from championship football club staff about physical performance coaching. As a result, learners extend their technical, practical and life skills beyond the qualifications they are studying. They develop a strong understanding of life in modern Britain, their responsibilities at college and in their communities. Learners benefit from a comprehensive tutorial programme that covers contemporary topics, including consent and misogyny. As a result, learners feel confident that they are able to develop healthy relationships and know to take action when they can see a negative impact on their well-being.

Leaders and managers carry out frequent observations of teaching and learning sessions to assure themselves of the quality of teaching that learners and apprentices experience. They have a secure understanding of the many strengths and the areas they want to improve further. Leaders and managers continuously review their offer to ensure that it comprehensively meets the needs of learners and the communities the colleges serve. They redesigned the curriculum for school leavers and introduced a level 2 pathway across two years. This has resulted in a significant increase in the number of learners who are able to study at this level, almost all of whom are continuing with their studies. Leaders reintroduced A-level courses at Canterbury College. Leaders and managers have a very acute understanding of why some learners miss lessons. They monitor attendance closely and put in place effective support so that these learners continue to make progress and achieve in their studies.

Governance is highly effective. Governors on the local boards at each college and the group board have the breadth of skills and expertise necessary to challenge leaders effectively. They share senior leaders’ strategic goals, such as the successful integration of Ashford College and the Spring Lane campus into the group, and support them to implement them. Governors scrutinise the work of leaders closely and challenge them robustly to ensure that they continue to lead quality improvement at all the colleges in the group.

2017 Full Inspection Report

What does the provider need to do to improve?

Leaders and managers should continue with their initiatives to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment to raise standards further, focusing on those areas where achievement rates are not yet high enough. In particular they should ensure that:

• lecturers set work that is sufficiently challenging to help the most able students make rapid progress and achieve or exceed their expected grades
• lecturers provide sufficiently detailed feedback so that all students know what progress they are making and what they need to do to improve their work in order to achieve higher grades
• managers and lecturers support students to be motivated to attend their English and mathematics classes so as to benefit from the good teaching, learning and assessment identified within these sessions and, as a result, improve their skills and achievement of English and mathematics outcomes.

2013 Full Inspection Report

What does East Kent College need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that the robust quality assurance evident in most of the college is fully replicated for apprenticeships.
• Make sure that teachers’ planning for learning, and their feedback to learners, consistently meet the needs of all learners, especially the more able.
• In order to improve learners’ confidence and attainment in functional skills, ensure that all lessons contain relevant contextual content for their studies.

2010 Full Inspection Report

What does Thanet College need to do to improve further?

• Improve poorer success rates in under-performing courses by further building on the college’s good work to improve learners’ retention and share the college’s good practice in improving pass rates.
• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by pursuing with rigour the college’s new arrangements for lesson observations and the associated support and mentoring for teachers.
• Ensure, when individual risk assessments are needed for young and vulnerable learners, that there is sufficient detail to protect the learner and reduce risks to themselves and others.
• Develop the newly introduced arrangements to support learners, to better inform tutors and learning mentors about learners’ needs and to provide an integrated approach to supporting learner progress and achievement.
• Improve the promotion of equality and diversity in subject areas, especially in lessons, to more fully develop learners’ and staff understanding.

2006 Full Inspection Report

Areas for improvement

The college should address:

• low retention rates, and the action taken to improve them
• the low proportion of good or better teaching
• the urgency with which quality improvement strategies are implemented
• unsatisfactory pass rates on AS level courses
• the development of measures to assess the progress that learners make
• the consistent and rigorous use of data to identify and address weaknesses in provision.

2005 Re-Inspection Report

n/a

2002 Full Inspection Report

What should be improved

• the consistency of assessment and achievement on work-based training and distance learning programmes
• insufficient use of literacy, numeracy and key skills in curriculum areas
• challenge in learning for the most able students
• unsystematic management of modern apprenticeship programmes
• enrolment, in those areas where this is declining
• retention and pass rates on level 2 courses.