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2023 Full Inspection Report

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

Leaders have created a very well-considered curriculum to meet closely the needs of distinct groups of students and which embodies the concept of lifelong learning. Students explore their interests and ambitions and develop their talents to a high level. They maintain positive well-being through studying the arts, music and languages. Leaders provide valuable specialist provision through ESOL courses, learning disability education and learning for the deaf community. They enable students to gain new professional skills in courses such as counselling and digital skills to help them to succeed in their careers and professional development.

Tutors very effectively use information about what students know and can do at the start of their course to plan a curriculum based on their individual abilities and goals. They then sequence subject content logically and effectively. They start with strategies that give students the confidence to study, and the curiosity to know more. In arts subjects, they ignite students’ creativity and then give them the tools and techniques to progress successfully. For example, in drawing, students are taught how to make marks, before studying the form of objects, people, proportions and perspectives. They progressively build their skills throughout their course, with many achieving more than they thought possible.

Tutors skilfully give very clear and effective explanations of key concepts. They use a range of highly effective teaching techniques to help students remember what they have been taught. For example, in dance, tutors model movements and ask students to mirror these and then apply these into practice in more-complex sequences. In Spanish, tutors skilfully use recaps, questioning and group discussions to check students’ understanding. Through continually revisiting what they have learned, students retain and build their knowledge very well and improve their fluency in conversation.

Tutors very effectively identify what actions students need to take to improve their work. In subjects including art and counselling, tutors are very skilled at teaching students how to reflect upon and critique their own and their peers’ work. They explain to students how to provide a more comprehensive evaluation of their written work. They provide effective written feedback to students so that they understand any errors they may have made and know how to correct them. As a result, students make significant improvements in the quality of their work over time.

Staff provide helpful and thoughtful support to students with additional learning needs. They set up teaching rooms to meet the needs of partially sighted students . Deaf students studying digital courses are supported well by interpreters. Managers have worked very effectively with staff to improve the achievement of students who require additional support.

Students produce exceptionally high-quality work. For example, in counselling, students conduct detailed primary and secondary research to write impressive evaluative assignments. Art students demonstrate a high level of proficiency in their crafts and photography students produce industry-standard work.

Students achieve exceptionally well. A very high proportion of those on courses that lead to qualifications pass their exams. Many students go onto courses where they extend their knowledge and skills further in their area of interest. Students who take courses to help them gain employment secure jobs or become self-employed.

Across all of the provision, leaders, managers and staff provide exceptional opportunities for students to participate in activities beyond the requirements of their course. A high proportion of students participate in these activities and develop the confidence, resilience and knowledge they need to thrive. For example, ceramics students exhibit work at a psychiatric hospital. Visual arts students have worked in collaboration with deaf students to celebrate deaf people’s portraits and showcased these in college exhibits.

Leaders and managers take very effective action to improve and maintain the quality of the provision. For example, they ensure that tutors have expert subject knowledge and experience in their sector. Leaders and managers support tutors very effectively to develop their teaching skills. For example, through frequent classroom visits, tutors receive effective feedback that helps them improve. Tutors benefit from a variety of training that develops their teaching skills. As a result, tutors are highly effective in their practice and teach courses that students enjoy and by which they are inspired.

Governance arrangements are effective. Governors have highly relevant experience that they bring to their roles, including in education and business. They use this well to support and challenge leaders and managers and to guide the development of the college. Governors are well informed about the college’s strengths and weaknesses. They provide effective scrutiny of the provision and challenge to the senior leadership team that ensures that students benefit from high-quality provision, whatever they study.

2016 Full Inspection Report

What does the provider need to do to improve?

Eradicate the minority of teaching, learning and assessment that is not of a high enough standard, and ensure that learners make good progress by:

• ensuring that teachers agree more stretching targets for most-able learners that extend their skills and knowledge further
• ensuring that learners on ESOL programmes have sufficient opportunity in lessons to practise accurately their spoken English
• ensuring that teachers direct the work of learning assistants more closely and check the learning and understanding more thoroughly for those learners who require additional help with their studies.

2011 Full Inspection Report

What does City Lit need to do to improve further?

• Continue to develop appropriate methods of recording progress and achievement to ensure the accurate recording of learner success and to reflect learners’ positive experience of City Lit.
• Ensure governors are routinely kept abreast of safeguarding referrals and investigations to enable them to monitor the quality of policies and procedures, interventions and records.
• Further improve the self-assessment and quality improvement process by providing an overview of all Common Inspection Framework aspects across all subject areas to inform the quality improvement plan.

2008 Full Inspection Report

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2007 Full Inspection Report

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2004 Full Inspection Report

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2003 Full Inspection Report

Other Improvements Needed

• better moderation of internal teaching observations
• further develop basic skills strategy and skills for life agenda
• better progression for people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities
• more sharing of good practice