Access keys
Search Skip navigation
The
role of self-assessment and key skills
The responsibility for improving the quality of provision, including
key skills provision, lies firmly with each provider. FE and sixth form
colleges are required by their local LSCs to carry out an annual self-assessment
report (SAR) that evaluates all aspects of their provision,
both accredited and non-accredited. Integral to this self-assessment process
is a development/action plan, which will set out how the strengths of
the current provision will be sustained and how the key areas for improvement
will be addressed.
Back
to the Inspection main menu
Implications of
the SAR for keys skills managers and coordinators
Key skills managers and coordinators need to be conversant with the
guidelines set down by the LSC in the document ‘Quality
improvement and self-assessment’ May 2005
They will need to carry out a robust analysis of the quality of the
key skills provision in their centres based on the five key questions
contained within the Common Inspection Framework, namely:
- How well do learners achieve?
- How effective are teaching, training and learning?
- How well do programmes and activities meet the needs and interests
of learners?
- How well are learners guided and supported?
- How effective are leadership and management in raising achievement
and supporting all learners?
How effective are teaching, training and learning?
- How well do programmes and courses meet the interests and needs of
learners?
- How well are learners guided and supported?
- How effective are leadership and management in raising achievement
and guiding learners?
For each of the questions key skills managers and co-ordinators will
need to demonstrate:
- what is going well and why
- what needs improving
- how improvement will be monitored, achieved and evaluated.
Judgements made about the quality of key skills teaching and learning
and the effectiveness of the provision as a whole will need to be based
on accurate and reliable evidence. Key skills retention and achievement
data will need to be captured at course and programme level as well as
across the organisation as a whole. The data will need to be used to demonstrate
trends over time (usually a three year period). In addition, managers
will be expected to demonstrate how this data has been interrogated and
responded to in order to set informed targets aimed at improving the quality
of key skills provision within the centre.
The role of the SAR
within the inspection process
The new inspection arrangements place much greater emphasis on centres
demonstrating the validity of the judgements contained within their SARs.
Inspectors will check the capacity of the college to quality assure its
provision accurately and to improve or maintain high
standards. In particular there will be a strong focus on testing the college's
view of the quality of teaching.
Key skills managers and co-ordinators will need to be aware of this
when making judgements about the quality of the key skills provision within
their centres. All judgements will need to be based on rigorous and accurate
evidence that can withstand scrutiny.
The SAR is one of the key documents used by the lead inspector to inform
the pre-inspection commentary (PIC) which is shared with the inspection
team. The PIC highlights any pertinent issues and outlines the particular
aspects the inspection will focus on. If key skills have emerged as a
particular strength or a particular weakness then managers can expect
this to be explored further during inspection. Where areas of learning
are to be inspected the SAR also informs decisions about which will be
selected.
References to the accuracy of the SAR will be made throughout the inspection
report. In addition, the accuracy and effectiveness of the SAR will feed
directly into the grades given for the overall effectiveness of the college
and its capacity to improve.
Back to the top
Back to Inspection main menu
Summary of this section