The Brooke House Sixth Form College

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Information about this provider

The Brooke House Sixth Form College (BSix) is a small sixth-form college in the London borough of Hackney. Students travel to attend the college from several London boroughs.

There are approximately 1140 students studying on education programmes for young people. The majority of students study on vocational courses from levels 1 to 3. The college teaches a wide range of A-level subjects.

The largest curriculum areas are the sciences, mathematics, English and health and social care.A further 40 students are in receipt of high needs funding. A small group of 17 adult students have recently started a programme in English for speakers of other languages.

However, as thi...s adult learning provision has only recently been introduced, it has not been graded at this inspection.

What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Students welcome the support they receive from staff because they know that they genuinely care about them as individuals. Students recognise that staff go out of their way to help them to be successful.

Students feel that the college is very welcoming and friendly. They value the opportunity to celebrate diversity. Being a member of a multicultural and diverse community means that students are keen to learn about equality issues.

For example, in tutorials, students learn about the history of the slave trade. They have thoughtful discussions about racial equality. Students are keen to contribute their points.

They listen intently to the views and experiences of others.

Students value the opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge of the workplace through taking part in work-experience placements. This helps to prepare them well for employment.

Students also benefit from international work placements. For example, tutors have developed a relationship with a partner school in Uganda. In the environmental club, students are currently working on an aquaponics water project.

Their aim is to create an aquaponics system and then take it to Uganda.

Leaders and staff create a safe and positive environment in lessons and around the college. As a result, students feel safe and secure.

Students behave well because relationships with staff and their peers are built upon mutual respect.

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

Since the previous inspection, a new board of skilled and experienced governors began an ambitious improvement programme to transform all aspects of the college. Governors quickly appointed a new principal and senior leadership team to implement the strategy.

Together, they provide effective scrutiny of the actions being taken to improve the provision. As a result, students now receive a good quality of education. They develop new knowledge and skills and produce high standards of work.

Senior leaders have developed a culture whereby they involve staff fully in the changes that they put in place. Consequently, staff feel that their views are listened to and trust the new leadership team. Staff morale has improved significantly.

Senior leaders have developed teachers to transform how they teach the curriculum. However, their progress has been disrupted due to the need to put in place online teaching to respond to COVID-19 national restrictions. Teachers in the majority of subjects use their extensive knowledge to teach concepts, theories and skills with clarity.

They also select appropriate classroom assessment methods to check that students can remember what they have been taught. For example, in health and social care and sociology, teachers use knowledge recall tasks effectively to check that students remember what they have been taught from previous lessons. However, in a few subjects, there is further work for leaders and teachers to do to improve the way that they plan and assess the curriculum.

In a few subjects, teachers do not provide sufficiently helpful feedback so that students know what they need to do to improve their work. In these subjects, leaders and teachers have not yet planned the curriculum in an appropriate order to enable students to logically build upon their knowledge over time.

In most subjects, leaders and teachers demonstrate their ambition for students through the way that they teach the curriculum.

For example, in vocational science, teachers teach students about the need to evaluate complex mathematical equations. Students then use these to test theories. As a result, students can apply their knowledge in practical situations.

This enables them to solve problems and conduct tests to gain a better understanding of the theories related to physics.

Leaders effectively monitor students' attendance and punctuality to lessons. This has improved the retention of students who were at risk of dropping out of their courses.

However, attendance and punctuality to lessons remains poor across the college. This inhibits the progress that students make.

Leaders ensure that students have access to a broad tutorial and enrichment curriculum.

For example, in the visiting speaker's programme, students benefit from talks by leading academics in areas such as British values. As a result, students are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Tutors ensure that students receive effective careers advice and guidance.

Tutors work with staff from Russell Group universities to support students to develop their personal statements and other applications. Tutors also help students to investigate apprenticeships and other pathways. Consequently, most students have aspirational plans, and a high proportion make a positive next step after completing their courses.

Leaders ensure that students who have high needs receive effective support when moving from their previous school or college to BSix. For example, parents and carers and potential students visit the college during holiday periods ahead of taking up a place. As a result, students feel more comfortable and less anxious about moving to the college.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

A well-trained safeguarding team is in place. They work well with other professionals to safeguard students.

This ensures that students receive appropriate support, either from within the college or through the range of external partners who work closely with leaders. For example, staff from the local children and adolescent mental health service advise leaders when supporting students with their mental well-being.

Governors take their safeguarding responsibilities seriously.

Two nominated governors hold the leaders and managers to account and frequently check on the work of the safeguarding team.

Leaders ensure that students are taught about healthy relationships. For example, students recall learning about the 'anything less than a yes is a no' campaign.

However, some students do not remember what they have been taught about harmful sexual behaviour.

What does the provider need to do to improve?

• Leaders and tutors should ensure that students' attendance and punctuality improve so that all students make better progress. ? Senior leaders should ensure that they continue to make progress in their training of staff to ensure that improvements in how teachers plan and assess the curriculum are embedded in all subjects.