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2024 Full Inspection Report

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

Senior leaders and governors provide exceptional leadership and management to widen participation. They work relentlessly to ensure learners and apprentices, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, receive consistently high-quality teaching and training. During their studies at the college, learners and apprentices make considerable progress from their often-low starting points. Most learners, including learners who have high needs and those at their subcontractors, achieve extremely well.

Senior leaders, governors and staff have very high ambitions for all learners. They passionately promote a culture in which learners are challenged, motivated and supported to achieve. Staff and learners are equally committed to push themselves and strive to aim high.

Staff thoroughly assess learners’ and apprentices’ prior knowledge and experience at the start of the course. They use this information effectively to advise learners of the most suitable courses for them. Lecturers carefully plan teaching and assessment on the key areas where learners have gaps in their knowledge and skills. They continue to use suitable types of assessments throughout the course to monitor closely the knowledge that learners and apprentices gain, up to the point of their final assessments and examinations.

Lecturers skilfully teach topics in a logical order, which build in complexity over time. For example, in electrical installation, lecturers teach apprentices to apply their basic knowledge of different diagnostic and problem-solving techniques to find, assess, and resolve electrical faults in residential environments. Adult learners on the spectator safety courses learn about different hazards and conflict situations. They apply this knowledge to then complete dynamic risk assessments of stadiums with different spectator groups, such as at rugby and football matches.

Leaders have been very successful at recruiting skilled practitioners from industry to teach subjects in which there is a shortage of teachers. They provide intensive support and training to these new lecturers to develop their teaching skills quickly. Experienced teaching and learning coaches provide highly effective and focused support to lecturers in areas where they are less proficient. Lecturers also take part in a wide range of industry-specific training to keep their subject knowledge up to date. Consequently, lecturers feel greatly supported to develop their practice and provide consistently excellent teaching to their learners and apprentices.

Lecturers skilfully use their professional expertise and subject knowledge to teach effectively. For example, they provide detailed explanations with examples from the workplace to link theoretical concepts with real-life practices. In courses such as automotive engineering, cookery and beauty therapy, lecturers expertly give clear instructions that learners follow closely. Learners then have excellent skills that they apply in workshops and at work placements. Learners and apprentices greatly benefit from learning about current and emerging practices using industry-standard equipment and facilities at the college. They gain valuable industry insights and develop knowledge, skills and behaviours desired by their employers.

Lecturers expertly use questioning techniques and online tools to check learners’ and apprentices’ understanding. They frequently check that learners and apprentices can recall what they were taught in previous lessons. They are skilled at using questions to challenge learners to think more deeply about what they are taught. For example, in barbering, lecturers use questions adeptly during practical observations to extend learners’ understanding. They prompt learners to think why they need to be mindful of the hair line and how to fold the foil when applying colour.

In lessons and workshops, lecturers encourage learners and apprentices to use the correct technical language and subject-specific terminology. During discussions, lecturers have a strong focus on the correct use of key terms and concepts. Across adult courses, lecturers provide useful glossaries to learners. In ESOL, lecturers use practice booklets skilfully when teaching new vocabulary. In English, lecturers frequently set spelling tests which help learners with the vocabulary required for the course. Consequently, learners confidently gain new vocabulary and can accurately use the technical language they have been taught.

Lecturers provide learners and apprentices with extremely helpful and comprehensive written and verbal feedback on their work. In GCSE mathematics, lecturers clearly explain rounding errors and how to work out the right answer. Learners quickly correct their work and do not make similar mistakes. On level 3 engineering, lecturers provide detailed information and guidance on what detail learners should include to improve their work to the highest standards. They make sure that learners understand the essential concepts and principles for engineering, such as computer aided design and calculus, in preparation for a foundation year in university. Learners produce work which is suitably detailed, neat and well-presented.

Leaders and staff monitor learners’ and apprentices’ progress extremely effectively. They have an accurate oversight of the progress their learners and apprentices make. Lecturers support learners exceptionally well to catch up and use a broad range of suitable interventions if they fall behind. This contributes to a high proportion of learners making excellent progress and achieving highly.

In apprenticeships, leaders do not always teach English and mathematics qualifications early enough in the course. Consequently, a small minority of apprentices do not make good enough progress and are not suitably prepared to take their final assessments. Leaders have identified the issue and taken suitable action to ensure current apprentices receive effective teaching to achieve these qualifications in a timely manner. While achievements have improved in apprenticeships, they are not high enough.

Leaders and managers have designed a very impressive tutorial curriculum for learners and apprentices, which is taught extremely well by tutors. This provides learners and apprentices with an experience at the college which extends considerably beyond the main subjects they study. For example, on ESOL courses, lecturers manage discussions with adult learners on different points of view regarding emotive topics such as immigration and conflict in war zones. Learners discuss with sensitivity and maturity values such as tolerance and respecting each other’s cultures. On public services courses for young learners, lecturers discuss with learners the importance of considering the Human Rights Act when responding to emergency situations such as protests. As a result, learners understand the importance of rule of law and democracy in the context of their lives at college and in society more broadly.

Learners and apprentices take part in a broad range of outstanding enrichment activities. Consequently, they broaden their experiences and widen their talents and interests. For example, young learners enthusiastically take part in external competitions, various clubs, such as book and music clubs, and sporting activities. All public services students take part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme. Learners with high needs attend an extensive range of enrichment activities. They participate in arts and fitness clubs and join college sports teams. They frequently go on trips to museums and cinemas and in the local community to shop for cooking ingredients. Consequently, learners with high needs securely develop skills for adulthood and strengthen social bonds with other learners.

Learners and apprentices, including those with high needs, participate well in voluntary and social action projects in the local community and at the college. For example, young learners volunteer for the British Heart Foundation charity shop and in a local community café to raise money. Learners with high needs act as ambassadors at college open evenings, host the corporation dinner and support a local film festival as volunteers. Adult learners on ESOL courses set up a ‘bring and buy shop’ to provide help with cost-of-living crisis and widen their understanding of recycling.

Learners and apprentices benefit significantly from high-quality careers education, advice and guidance throughout their time at the college. Specialist staff, including employability coaches and careers advisers, provide detailed information and individualised advice on the different progression options available to learners and apprentices. Staff provide extensive support for learners to complete university applications and prepare for the job interviews. A high proportion of learners and apprentices progress successfully to higher-level courses or university, or gain employment.

Learners and apprentices enjoy hearing from a host of industry specialists and employer guest speakers. They greatly benefit from learning about different employment opportunities. For example, apprentices in electrical and plumbing courses learn about opportunities to work on London’s environmental initiatives to install air source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels. Young learners on study programmes complete meaningful work experience in sectors related to their career aspirations. As a result, learners and apprentices have ambitious and clear plans in place for their next steps.

Learners and apprentices, including those at the subcontractors and employers, feel safe. Young learners and those with high needs have a good understanding of appropriate sexual relationships. They know who to go to should they need to report a concern. Staff provide comprehensive support to young learners and vulnerable adults with a range of issues such as mental health concerns and financial hardships, to ensure their safety and well-being. Consequently, learners who face obstacles and challenges stay on their courses and achieve.

Leaders have very effective governance arrangements in place. Governors have relevant backgrounds and expertise in education, finance and safeguarding. They are passionate and highly committed to improve continuously the quality of education and learning experience for all learners and apprentices. They have a thorough oversight of the strengths and areas of improvement of their provision. Governors provide robust challenge and support to leaders to ensure the quality of education is consistently high across the provision. Leaders and governors are very aware of courses where improvements are needed, such as in level 3 engineering and GCSE mathematics. They take very effective action where necessary, such as to improve learner retention, examination preparation, curriculum sequencing and the quality of teaching.

2018 Full Inspection Report

What does the provider need to do to improve further?

• Improve learners’ attendance by developing new strategies to tackle this problem; in particular, all teachers should reinforce the same high expectations on the importance of attendance at college.
• Through staff development priorities:
  • work with teachers to ensure a consistent and suitable level of detail and challenge in the targets they set for learners
  • ensure that teachers provide suitably detailed feedback to learners so learners know what actions to take to improve their work.
• Ensure that managers and teachers strengthen further their links with employers, use them to create further work experience opportunities for learners on study programmes, and ensure that learners use the work experience appropriately to develop their employability skills.
• Extend the accessibility of careers guidance to apprentices more and, where appropriate, promote apprenticeships more widely as a career option for other learners.
• Ensure that assessors work more closely with apprentices to raise their awareness of how to stay safe online.

2016 Full Inspection Report

What does the provider need to do to improve further?

• Increase rapidly the proportion of learners who achieve their qualifications in English and mathematics.
• Increase the proportion of learners on study programmes who achieve distinction and merit grades.
• Improve the teaching of English on vocational programmes so that learners and apprentices develop the good skills in English that they need to be successful in learning and life.
• Teachers should plan learning and assessment that focuses closely on the knowledge, skills and understanding that individual learners should develop.
• Teachers must ensure that they comprehensively check that learning is taking place, and that learners are clear about the progress they have made.

2014 Full Inspection Report

What does the provider need to do to improve further?

• Urgently improve teaching and learning in discrete English and mathematics lessons so that all learners have a much better chance of achieving these qualifications to enhance their employability. Teachers need to focus more on learners’ development needs in and between lessons; on extending the range of teaching, independent study and assessment methods used to make topics more interesting and relevant to learners’ main areas of study.
• Ensure that attendance, behaviour, and punctuality are consistently good in all subject areas; emphasise to teachers the importance of setting clear expectations about attendance and punctuality as an important part of developing their employability skills.
• Use the existing good partnerships with employers and many initiatives already in place to bring learners into contact with employers during their studies, to arrange work placements for learners in subjects where they currently do not exist so they can experience real-life commercial demands of the workplace.
• Ensure managers at all levels improve action planning and performance management of staff in those subjects which perform poorly so that all learners have an equal chance of achieving successfully, and share more of the good practice of outstanding teachers to reduce the wide variations in the quality of teaching and learning.

2013 Full Inspection Report

What does the college need to do to improve further?

• Improve outcomes further by more rigorous action focused on the progress made by individuals in lessons in order to ensure all learners achieve their full potential.
• Develop strategies to improve the quality of English and mathematics lessons, and ensure that all staff work cooperatively so that English and mathematics qualifications are an integral and relevant component of the vocational curriculum.
• Improve the quality of learning in all lessons by ensuring that both teachers and lesson observers focus more deeply on assessing the impact of teaching on learning.
• Set more ambitious and clearer targets to help learners to improve their work, know what they need to do to make further progress and achieve their full potential.
• Ensure that self-assessment, particularly of teaching, learning and assessment at curriculum level, is more rigorous and leads to precise and measurable actions for improvements.
• Through further effective staff training and performance management, ensure that all staff participate in, and are held accountable for, raising standards.

2010 Full Inspection Report

What does Waltham Forest College need to do to improve further?

• Increase success rates, particularly for learners aged 16 to 18, by consistently agreeing specific and challenging learning targets for individual learners that are reviewed regularly.
• Improve the quality of teaching and learning by ensuring the procedures for observing teachers are moderated thoroughly and lead to accurate judgements, and that appropriate staff development is provided to improve all identified areas of weakness.
• Improve the literacy and numeracy skills of learners by identifying the role of learning support assistants and involving them more clearly in the planning and delivery of lessons.
• Improve the accuracy and effectiveness of the self-assessment process to identify and drive forward improvements at a faster rate and set more specific and challenging improvement targets which are monitored regularly.
• Improve learners’ punctuality and attendance by making sure all staff provide sufficient challenge to learners to ensure good timekeeping and attendance.

2006 Full Inspection Report

Areas for improvement

The college should address:

• low success rates for learners aged 16-18 at level 3 and from black Caribbean heritage
• low key skills success rates
• unsatisfactory provision in hospitality
• insufficient opportunities for full-time learners to participate in work-related activities
• variations in the effectiveness of the strategies to resolve attendance and punctuality issues
• some drab and poor accommodation.

2002 Full Inspection Report

What should be improved

• some lessons and especially those for students aged 16 to 18
• retention and pass rates on many courses
• students' rate of progress towards achieving NVQ qualifications
• students' attendance and punctuality
• rigour of course reviews and the self-assessment process.