College Websites

2024 Full Inspection Report

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

Senior leaders and managers have a very clear rationale for their aspirational curriculums. Leaders carefully consider the courses they provide for students, apprentices and those who have high needs. They have a strong sense of community and are passionate to provide life-changing opportunities for young people and adults, many from disadvantaged backgrounds, to achieve their personal and career goals. They work collaboratively with their subcontractors to provide training for students, including for those that are the furthest from employment and education, to prepare them for work, further learning, apprenticeships and their next steps.

Leaders and managers are highly ambitious for their students and apprentices. Staff work closely with universities and employers to plan curriculums to ensure that students and apprentices are well prepared for their next steps after college. For example, managers have worked with the engineering department at a local university to identify what students need to know to prepare for their degree. They have introduced a mathematics for engineers module to prepare students to work with complex mathematical equations and formulas. Leaders offer apprenticeship readiness groups that support students into apprenticeships with employers in the region.

Students and apprentices benefit from high-quality initial and ongoing careers information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) to ensure that they are on the right course and are well prepared for their next steps and progression. They frequently discuss careers pathways with college staff and teachers. Students with high needs access cross-college careers events, fairs and CEIAG. In addition, students with more complex needs benefit from a dedicated special educational needs and/or disabilities career advisor. Students and apprentices are very well informed about their potential next steps and career pathways after college

Students’ and apprentices’ attendance is very high. Leaders and staff track and intervene to improve attendance rates should students fail to meet their very high expectations. They involve employers immediately if they have any concerns about apprentices’ attendance, punctuality or behaviours. Staff routinely recognise and reward the positive professional behaviours and improving attendance they expect to see in successful students and apprentices.

Leaders ensure that teachers are highly qualified and have expert subject knowledge. Teachers benefit from a range of staff development to improve their teaching skills and to maintain their vocational currency. They complete back to industry days, training on sticky knowledge, dual coding, cognitive load and retrieval practice. Where appropriate, teachers who are new to teaching are placed on the early career framework and attend placements at local high schools to support and develop their teaching skills. Staff highly value the ‘great teaching’ development programme introduced by leaders.

Students and apprentices benefit from highly effective teaching. Teachers give a great deal of thought to the order of teaching to help students learn and remember more. A-level mathematicians learn fluency, reasoning and problem-solving to develop their knowledge and reasoning simultaneously. Adult counselling students practise their interpersonal skills and learn about the context within which counselling and the referral process can be used, including the importance of maintaining ethical standards. Students with high needs develop their social skills, such as confidence, resilience and independence as well as developing their communication and employability skills to build their knowledge, skills and behaviours in a meaningful way.

In apprenticeships, staff plan and coordinate on- and off-the-job training very well. They routinely identify opportunities for apprentices to practise their skills at work so that apprentices rapidly hone their new knowledge, skills and behaviours and become valued, skilled members of their teams.

Teachers systematically provide high-quality developmental feedback to students and apprentices that tells them what they have done well and what they need to do to improve their practical and written work. They routinely challenge students and apprentices to expand their answers to include fuller responses to ensure they achieve their aspirational targets. Students and apprentices greatly improve their skills and written work at college.

Teachers use assessment incisively to adapt their teaching and to check the progress that students and apprentices make towards achieving their qualifications. This includes aspects such as attendance, self-organisation, career aspirations, resilience, and effort. Teachers set clear and concise targets for students and apprentices. When students fall behind, they attend booster sessions to help them to catch up quickly and improve their grades. Students and apprentices make or exceed their expected progress.

Students with high needs on academic and vocational programmes achieve at least as well as their peers. However, on the non-accredited foundation learning programmes, teachers do not always recognise and record learner progress and achievement towards their educational health and care plan outcomes. Staff do not routinely monitor or share information of what students could not do, can do now and what they need to do next. Consequently, these students do not routinely make progress at the rate of which they are capable.

Leaders and managers use a range of highly effective quality assurance processes to monitor and improve the quality of education. They assure the quality of the subcontracted provision very effectively. Apprentices who stay on programme achieve their apprenticeship and most pass their final assessments at their first attempt. Where grades are available, the large majority achieve merit and distinctions grades. Leaders recognise that on a few apprenticeships too many apprentices left their programmes early. They have swiftly identified valid reasons and implemented effective interventions to ensure that apprentices remain on their apprenticeships and make strong progress. As a result, retention has significantly improved in the areas that were a concern.

Leaders create a culture of continuous improvement. Staff have manageable workloads. Leaders listen to feedback from staff to reduce workloads and stress. Staff feel appreciated for the contribution they make to the college. They value the well-being days, where they participate in activities, such as yoga, football and silent discos. Staff feel well supported by their managers.

Governors have significant expertise to carry out their roles. They have a wealth of experience across the education sector. Governors have a highly accurate understanding of the college’s strengths and areas of improvement. They receive detailed and accurate reports to provide effective scrutiny and challenge to senior leaders. Governors set clear and precise targets for leaders and managers for sustained improvement.

2020 Full Inspection Report

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

Leaders have exceptional links with local employers and regional business groups, including the local enterprise partnership and regional mayoral authorities. They collaborate with them to create a challenging curriculum designed to help learners and apprentices achieve their ambitious career goals.

Managers have reviewed the curriculum to ensure that there are clear progression routes for learners and apprentices. For example, a pre-apprenticeship course prepares learners well by developing the employability skills and confidence they need to apply for a job with apprenticeship training. Managers have ensured that the vast majority of learners have access to an ambitious curriculum. For example, the science and technology curriculums are planned in collaboration with SciTech.

Managers have built very strong and highly effective relationships with subcontractors. They make sure that all subcontractors deliver a curriculum that meets local needs exceptionally well. For example, the curriculum delivered by subcontractors has reduced the number of young people and adults who are not in education, employment or training in Widnes and Runcorn. The curriculum ensures that disadvantaged learners develop their self-confidence and self-esteem. A very high proportion progress into further study, volunteering or employment.

Teachers and trainers are well qualified and benefit from high-quality professional development that develops their subject knowledge and expertise. For example, in catering, teachers have had training in chocolatiering and cake modelling. Teachers in engineering receive regular updates from specialist German engineers on renewable energy and solar systems. Senior leaders ensure that learners and apprentices benefit from high-quality up-to-date equipment and resources. For example, painting and decorating apprentices skilfully use specialist airless spray equipment while safely working on scaffolding.

Learners and apprentices enjoy an extremely well planned curriculum, which means they gain significant new knowledge and skills quickly. They gain the attitudes and behaviours they need to progress to higher levels of study or work. For example, A-level science learners gain an insight into working in medicine through meaningful work experience in the NHS. Apprentices in engineering skilfully use a milling machine to create threads and screws.

Leaders, managers and teachers have developed a high-quality curriculum that widens learners’ and apprentices’ experiences and life skills. Learners and apprentices plan and support charity events and projects and take part in fundraising appeals. For example, engineering apprentices designed and built equipment for the Invictus Games so that athletes with physical disabilities could take part in throwing events. Many learners compete in vocational competitions and visit local and national employers and other organisations, including universities. For example, construction learners take part in the national Skill Build competitions. As a result, learners extend their technical, practical and life skills so that they can live productive lives and make very good progress towards their ambitious career goals.

Teachers and assessors use especially effective teaching and assessment strategies. They use learners’ and apprentices’ starting points very well to plan a demanding curriculum. They identify what learners and apprentices understand and can do and plan very well to address any misconceptions they may have. They teach the curriculum in a logical order, building very well on previous learning. They provide frequent opportunities for learners and apprentices to practise their skills and to recall and develop their knowledge. For example, health and social care learners gain knowledge of safeguarding and dealing with challenging behaviour before they start their work placements. Biology learners can explain the theory behind the swelling caused by sports injuries.

Assessors, in conjunction with employers, ensure that apprentices benefit from excellent and well-planned on- and off-the-job training. Apprentices receive high levels of support from their employers. For example, business administration apprentices can hone their skills in event management so that they are able to lead events independently.

Teachers and assessors place a great emphasis on the development of literacy and numeracy skills. As a result, learners and apprentices use the correct technical language fluently. For example, catering learners use the correct terms for vegetable cuts such as batons, julienne and mirepoix. They can calculate accurately the amount of ingredients needed and cooking times. Adults on beauty courses can pronounce and spell correctly the names of the muscles in the body.

Teachers and assessors make sure that learners and apprentices develop the skills they need for future study or work, such as problem-solving and communication skills. For example, learners in catering attend external commercial events, where they develop teamworking skills and better understand the pressures of the industry.

Learners who have high needs receive very effective specialist support. Managers and teachers coordinate their transition into college and specialist support very well. They use learners’ education, health and care plans to identify accurately the individual support necessary. Learners who have high needs and study on vocational or academic courses make exceptional progress. Most learners on foundation learning courses make good progress. However, in a few instances, the planned curriculum does not allow the more confident learners to make progress quickly enough.

Managers, teachers and staff provide learners and apprentices with excellent and impartial careers information, advice and guidance before and during their programmes. They make well-informed and aspirational choices about their course and future career options, with only a few learners opting to change their course or leave the college.

Learners on Advanced-level programmes greatly benefit from the ‘prestigious universities’ programme that facilitates successful applications to universities. Consequently, most progress into higher education, with a significant number going to the best universities. There are especially high levels of achievement for learners and apprentices. A high proportion of Advanced-level learners achieve high grades on their course.

Leadership and management are outstanding. Senior leaders and governors are very ambitious for their learners and apprentices. They are committed to providing a highquality education, which means that learners and apprentices achieve their full potential. Staff at all levels have high aspirations for their learners and apprentices. Consequently, learners and apprentices who study here do exceptionally well.

Senior leaders and governors promote especially high standards in all aspects of the college. A culture of relentless self-improvement and continuous improvement permeates the college. Senior leaders accurately identify good practice and quickly address any areas requiring improvement. Consequently, learners and apprentices benefit from very high quality teaching and learning.

Governors have high aspirations for their learners, apprentices and staff. Governors are rightly very proud of what the college provides for the local community and employers in the region. Governors consistently hold senior leaders to account to sustain and further improve the quality of provision for all learners and apprentices. They act swiftly and incisively to eradicate the very few areas of underperformance.

2010 Full Inspection Report

What does Riverside College Halton need to do to improve further?

• Sustain and improve pass rates and the progress that learners make in the small number of underperforming courses. Increase the use of data to evaluate the progress that GCE A-level learners make in their learning and achievement compared to their prior attainment and ability.
• Improve the small number of lessons where learners are not sufficiently challenged by their work. Use questioning in lessons that develops learners’ understanding more fully. Ensure that more able learners achieve the high grades of which they are capable.
• Increase the participation of full-time learners in enrichment programmes to widen their broader learning experience at the college.
• Build upon existing work to ensure that the level and type of programmes offered will more closely match the needs and interests of learners. Consistently use learners’ and employers’ views more effectively to review the range and quality of programmes in all areas, so that their perspective informs the future direction of the college.

2008 Full Inspection Report

Areas for improvement

The college should address:

• the pace of actions to improve learners’ chances of success
• inadequate provision in six of the areas inspected and most GCE provision
• the quality of teaching and learning
• ineffective one-to-one reviews and tracking of students’ progress
• the rigour of advice and guidance
• the accuracy and clarity of self-assessment and quality improvement
• the rigour of performance monitoring and target setting to bring about improvement.

2004 Re-Inspection Report

n/a

2002 Full Inspection Report

What should be improved

• pre-course counselling to ensure the appropriate placing of students on courses
• students' timekeeping and attendance
• low retention rates on many courses
• low levels of attainment on some courses
• poor provision in basic skills
• commercial experience of teachers in some vocational areas
• use of IT as an integral part of lessons
• dissemination of good practice across the college
• effectiveness of some teaching to meet individual needs.