5C: How is success in leadership and management recognised?

Leadership and management are excellent. They provide clear direction and thorough planning and impact positively on the quality of the provision. Roles and responsibilities are clearly allocated and coordination of the provision is effective. Coordination of literacy and numeracy across the college, for example, is very good. Good practice in one area is shared supportively with others. Team meetings are held regularly, are well attended and contribute to raising standards. There is a strong commitment and good access to regular staff development leading to consistently good teaching. Team teaching, mentoring, and lesson observation are well established and, together with rigorously implemented quality assurance procedures have led to improvements in teaching and learning. The self-assessment report accurately identified the strengths and weaknesses of the provision. Action plans to address weaknesses are implemented energetically. Challenging recruitment targets for literacy and numeracy provision have been achieved. The close monitoring of students' attendance and punctuality has led to significant improvements in retention rates, particularly for students of ESOL.

The college's MIS provides accurate information. Managers have access to all of the information they need, online, to inform their decisions and help them to set targets. Careful analysis of performance data is a key aspect of the college's comprehensive performance reviews. Staff are well aware of the importance the principal and senior managers attach to improving standards and are highly motivated to achieving them.

Leadership and management are outstanding. The principal provides well-informed leadership and a clear strategic direction which is highly responsive to local and national priorities. Shared values are fundamental to the organisation and are well understood by both staff and students. They focus on developing an individual's potential, raising aspirations and providing a successful learning experience which leads to achievement.

All academic departments produce annual business plans, which outline in appropriate detail ways in which strategic objectives are to be met. Senior managers at their team meetings receive regular reports from departments on performance, and meet regularly with heads of department to review progress with their business plans.

There is outstanding management of literacy and numeracy across the college. The head of school and team of staff work exceptionally well together. There are effective systems in place for the implementation and monitoring of all the key processes. Communication is excellent and all staff receive a basic skills bulletin. Well-documented course team meetings take place regularly. There is clear evidence of continuous improvement. Monitoring of the quality of individual learning plans and targets is undertaken by senior tutors, which leads to improvements through effective support for staff. Learning support staff are well deployed. Great care is taken to match support workers or tutors to curriculum areas. The management and use of data are effective. Targets and data reports are reviewed in team and management meetings. Specific and challenging targets for retention, achievement and progression are set within staff personal development plans. There is a very good classroom observation process that has led to improvement. Improvements are shown by the recent grades awarded.

There is a clear strategic direction to the planning and development of education and training to improve the range and quality of provision. The close and productive working relationship between the head of inmate activities and the education manager ensures a structured approach to the expansion of education and training opportunities. There is a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of current provision and an accurate identification of the future needs and developments.

There is clear strategic direction at [the organisation]. The council’s clear vision to raise aims, improve educational attainment and enhance employability is supported by strong leadership. Senior managers have a clear understanding of how the adult education service is performing. There is good partnership working to develop provision. A strategic overview of services avoids duplication of [its] provision with other local providers, such as colleges and leisure services. Staff liaise closely with other agencies to meet the needs of carers and other service users such as refugees or adults with learning difficulties.

The staff development programme is well planned and targeted to achieve the service’s aims and objectives, the development plan and the priorities of government agencies. Staff have systematic appraisals and observations. All new staff have an induction to the service. The organisation is strongly committed to widening participation. It actively seeks to remove barriers to learning and has developed a wide range of effective strategies to engage new learners. These include effective targeting of provision in wards with the highest levels of deprivation, and well-developed partnerships.

Resources for the teaching of literacy and numeracy are very good, both at the main college sites and at community venues. Literacy and numeracy courses are timetabled in good classroom accommodation as well as in the excellent and well-equipped learning resource bases which are used for drop-in workshops for adult basic skills students. These are equipped with computers with Internet access and appropriate learning programmes, together with practical mathematics equipment and well-designed worksheets.