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Press release: More proportionate inspections introduced for further education colleges

The very best further education colleges will receive short inspections from September 2007, while those colleges which are failing or which are satisfactory but not improving will receive closer monitoring.

The move follows strong support from the further education sector during consultation, outlined, along with the changes, in Proportionate inspection of further education colleges: summary of responses to the consultation and next steps, published today by the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted).

Short inspections for 'outstanding' colleges will last two days, involve two inspectors and result in a short inspection report. The notification period for these colleges will remain three weeks but there will be no pre-planning meeting. More than 95 per cent of consultation respondents agreed with these proposals.

Colleges judged to be 'good' will continue to receive a light touch inspection, typically involving four inspectors for one week.

'Outstanding' and 'good' colleges will not be inspected again for four years. Furthermore, they will no longer be subject to an annual assessment visit, providing that annual desk monitoring confirms that high performance is being maintained.

'Satisfactory' colleges will continue to be inspected by a larger team of inspectors to enable a range of curriculum areas to be evaluated and graded. Broad support was given to intensifying the re-inspection of 'inadequate' colleges and shortened timescales for re-inspection will be introduced. 'Inadequate' colleges will receive a monitoring visit six to nine months after inspection, followed by a full re-inspection after 12 to 15 months. Annual monitoring visits will continue for 'satisfactory' and 'inadequate' colleges.

John Landeryou, Learning and Skills Divisional Manager, said:

"Today's consultation findings show strong support from the sector for Ofsted's proposals to reduce the intensity of inspection for the best colleges and focus resources on those that are 'inadequate' or 'satisfactory'. Ofsted recognises the sector is improving in terms of performance and this more proportionate approach to inspection represents a move towards greater self-regulation for a significant proportion of the sector."

Dr John Guy OBE, principal of The Sixth Form College Farnborough, said:

"The Sixth Form College Farnborough has recently undergone a short inspection under the new process. Whilst short, it was nonetheless intense! It was clear that our own self-critical performance report was subjected to close and detailed scrutiny and validation by the inspection team. We welcome the new proportionate, risk-based approach as we move towards self-regulation for very good and outstanding colleges - and we are delighted to have received the new formal designation as an outstanding college."

Ann Robinson OBE, principal of Woodhouse College, said:

"Far from making us feel complacent about our quality of provision, the proportionate inspection process and outcome have made us determined to sustain improvement. 'Capacity to Improve' is at the heart of progress for the institution and for the Sector - and will inform developments around Self-Regulation."

While the majority of respondents agreed that 'outstanding' and 'good' colleges should not be subject to further monitoring visits, as long as high performance is maintained, a significant minority of colleges wanted the visits to continue for all colleges. Therefore, the scope of monitoring visits will be kept under review, particularly when the inspection framework is revised at the end of the current cycle in 2009.

Annual desk monitoring of performance will be introduced for all colleges and 90 per cent of respondents believed this was reasonable. Colleges will be notified three weeks in advance to give them time to update documentation on the provider web portal but they will not have to supply any additional information prior to the monitoring exercise. Colleges will be notified of the outcomes of desk monitoring.

Ofsted will work with the Quality Improvement Agency (QIA) to refine the definition of a 'satisfactory but not improving college' and consider the nature and extent of any support which might be provided by the QIA to these colleges. Improvement advisers, contracted by the QIA, are providing support for provision judged 'inadequate'. The Centre for Excellence in Leadership will also be consulted with a view to the provision of specific support for leadership and management.

Ofsted is working with the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to consider how best learners' views can be reflected in self-assessment reports and guidance will be provided to the sector to support this process. Where a significant proportion of sector and subject areas fall below the 50 per cent minimum success rate threshold, as defined by the LSC, Ofsted will undertake an extended monitoring visit or full inspection to examine the action taken to effect improvement. There was general agreement to this approach in the consultation. Specialist inspectors will be deployed to focus on the underperforming sector and subject areas.

Sector and subject reports, together with other thematic surveys, will be used to identify and disseminate best practice in the sector. Reports on all the main sector and subject areas will be published by 2008. The inspection cycle will remain at four years, which was supported by the consultation respondents.

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Notes For Editors

1. Proportionate inspection of further education colleges: summary of responses to the consultation and next steps will be published on the Ofsted website at 00.01am on Tuesday 8 May 2007.

2. On 1 April 2007 a new single inspectorate for children and learners was created. It has responsibility for the inspection of adult learning and training - work formerly undertaken by the Adult Learning Inspectorate; the regulation and inspection of children's social care - work formerly undertaken by the Commission for Social Care Inspection; the inspection of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service - work formerly undertaken by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Court Administration; and the former regulatory and inspection activities of Ofsted.

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