The college in Newham has come under fire from Ofsted because some students are not getting qualifications

A sixth form college in east London has been axed by Ofsted after several students failed to achieve their qualifications due to “ineffective” teaching and administration errors. Newham Sixth Form College in Plaistow has been downgraded from ‘good’ to ‘inadequate’ following an Ofsted inspection which took place in February and March 2024.

The college, also known as NewVIc, has 2,402 students with the majority aged between 16 and 18. There are 90 students at the college with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and have Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans. Two-thirds of students aged 16-18 are taking vocational courses related to a specific skill or job, while a third are studying A-level courses.

During the most recent inspection, the college received an inadequate rating in three categories; quality of education, leadership and management and youth education programmes. The other three categories, which were behavior and attitudes, personal development and provision for pupils with high needs, were all given a ‘requires improvement’ rating.

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According to inspectors, many students face “disruption to education” due to staffing problems, ineffective teaching and exam-related administrative errors. In the previous academic year (2022/23), a “significant” number of young people did not achieve their qualifications and made poor progress in relation to previous knowledge and results.

Inspectors said students with SEND were achieving well and acknowledged some improvements had been made since September 2023, although there were still issues that had not been resolved. Pupils were praised for being respectful of each other and said the strong presence of staff, particularly security and youth workers on site, helped to create a calm and positive environment where young people felt safe and support

However, inspectors said student attendance and punctuality were not good enough, and college staff were not following up on those with low attendance and said there was no adequate intervention or support. Governors and senior leaders have been criticized for not doing enough to tackle the “poor quality of education” facing students.

Inspectors said: “They had poor oversight of key functions, such as the administration of exams, for which they failed to implement improvements effectively or quickly enough. They did not ensure that there were adequate learning resources, such as computers, to meet the needs of the students.”

In some taught subjects, such as English literature, sport, business and science, teachers were recognized for using a “coherent curriculum”, but inspectors said in general staff do not plan and teach a curriculum “consistently well” .

They added: “…in sport, teachers teach an introduction to psychology so that students have the knowledge to understand motivational theory, from which they learn to design a psychological skills training program. However, in too many cases, teachers fail to accurately assess learners’ starting points and subsequently fail to teach the curriculum in a way that effectively builds on what learners know.”

In some cases, Ofsted said there are some students who are not on the right course that is relevant to their previous qualifications. Inspectors said students with SEND are not offered a sufficient range of extra-curricular activities and, although they are aware of the college’s activities outside the classroom, too many are not motivated to join extra-curricular clubs or take part in activities.

Teachers do not know enough about the outcomes of the EHC plan for students with high needs and do not plan or teach an appropriate outcome where learners can achieve their outcomes. Senior leaders and governors did not provide staff with “effective or sufficient training” and there were few opportunities for staff to take part in a wide range of development opportunities to expand their skills.

Inspectors said insufficient training had contributed to a “lack of progress” in improving the educational experience of students. They also criticized leaders and managers for not paying enough attention to the workload and mental well-being of their staff.

They said: “Many staff remain highly committed to the College despite their heavy workloads. The current interim leadership and management team have begun implementing strategies to better manage staff workloads.” Ofsted has given Newham Sixth Form College eight key areas for improvement, including improving student attendance and punctuality and improving the standard of teaching and learning.

The college responds to the Ofsted report

In response to the report published in April 2024, interim head Susanne Davies said she recognized the challenges and the college was working on a “clear plan” for the future. Ms Davies said: “We accept Ofsted’s overall judgement. I am delighted that Ofsted recognizes the progress made in the current academic year to get the college back on track. We fully recognize the challenges we face and have a clear plan for the way forward. “

She added: “NewVIc is proud to be a long-standing and incredibly important resource for our local community and our commitment to delivering the best possible education and training is unwavering.” As a result of the Ofsted report, NewVIc is in talks which could lead to a merger with Newham College, which has a ‘good’ Ofsted rating and is a top performing college.

Jayne Dickinson, Interim Chair of NewVIc said: “As the new Chair of NewVIc, over the past two months I have witnessed the enormous potential of NewVIc and the real progress the college is already making in the areas for improvement highlighted in the Ofsted reports. A merger between the two organizations will accelerate this progress and expand opportunities for local young people, providing a range of skills for our employers.

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