CHESTERFIELD COLLEGE OFSTED EXPERIENCE BY JULIE RICHARDS DEPUTY PRINCIPAL CHESTERFIELD COLLEGE

1. CHESTERFIELD COLLEGE OFSTED EXPERIENCEBY JULIE RICHARDSDEPUTY PRINCIPALCHESTERFIELD COLLEGE

2. The preparation • A moving towards outstanding checklist for all areas • Team briefings • Data preparation • Schedule planning in particular for sub-contracted provision • Robust reporting and monitoring of all Key Performance Indicators • Staff performance review, appraisals and one-to-ones • A relentless focus on learning, teaching and assessment standards • Identification of key roles and responsibilities including link personnel for the inspection team

3. The week before • The call • Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday • Information requests from the lead inspector • Data preparation and submission • Self Assessment and Quality Improvement Plan – positioning statement • Taking control of the situation • Preparing members of staff, briefings and communication to students, staff and other stakeholders • Setting up the base room • Preparing the presentation from the Principal/Chief Executive

4. The week before • Organising domestic arrangements for the inspection team • Reviewing the inspection team’s CVs and key areas for inspection • Last minute checks on health and safety and safeguarding arrangements • Appearing calm, organised and responsive at all times • Appropriate support and back up in place for the nominee from all key departments and personnel • Arranging ongoing feedback from the inspection team to keep the nominee abreast of developments

5. Monday, 7 October 2013 • The inspection team arrival • First impressions, organisation and communication • Planning the week and schedules • Link personnel – preparation, communication and relationship building with the inspection team • Key meetings • Observation schedules including paired activity finalised and agreed • Meetings with students and staff finalised and agreed • Producing data efficiently, accurately and in a timely manner • Ask questions

6. Pressure points and the role of the nominee • Ensuring the nominee is extremely well supported and organised for the feedback meetings each day • Be prepared for inspectors working out of scope • As a leadership team remain calm, responsive and supportive to all staff within the organisation • Be prepared to challenge and present additional evidence quickly and accurately • Try to influence activities and point inspectors to additional evidence and areas of good practice • Provide, clear constructive feedback and actions to key staff after each feedback meeting

7. Emerging themes and the focus of inspection • A relentless focus on the standards of learning, teaching and assessment • Outcomes for learners and analysis of data was completed by lunch time on the Tuesday • An intense focus on paired observations and matching grades with internal staff • Maths and English • Stretch and challenge • Destination and progression • Learner progress • Performance management • Support for students • Strategic direction and leadership of the organisation

8. Emerging themes and the focus of inspection • Accuracy of the Self Assessment is critical – constant reference to the Self Assessment and grade profile against the Common Inspection Framework • Promotion of equality and diversity in lessons

9. The outcome • The college is a good provider because: • Most learners complete their courses successfully and make good progress. The large majority of apprentices successfully achieve their qualifications and most do so within the planned timescale • Teaching and learning are mostly good with a significant proportion that is outstanding • Most learners enjoy being at college, make • good progress in lessons and maintain high • standards of behaviour

10. The outcome • Support for learners is very effective in helping them to achieve their goals • Particularly good information, advice and guidance ensure learners are on the appropriate • programmes • Senior managers and governors set a clear strategic direction for the college and staff share • their ambition and high expectations • Leaders and managers work well with employers and external agencies to provide a highly responsive curriculum to meet local and regional needs

11. The outcome • College leaders are highly successful in ensuring that vocational education is very good and • most learners succeed

12. The outcome • The college is not yet an outstanding provider because: • In a few lessons, the teaching is dull and uninspiring; in these lessons, learners make • insufficient progress • In a minority of lessons, across all provision, the promotion of equality and diversity, effective • target setting and constructive feedback on • learners’ written work is inconsistent • Learners on a minority of courses do not progress sufficiently quickly in improving their English and mathematics

13. The outcome • The reviews of targets for staff, although well linked to other processes, are not sufficiently • sharp and do not focus clearly on their • individual needs

14. The final day – Grading and feedback • Lessons learned • Accuracy of data • Accuracy of Self Assessment and Quality Improvement Plan • Communication