Aim 3: the further education system continuously improves so that colleges and providers aspire to and achieve excellence, and no provision is unsatisfactory.
Success rates have risen significantly in the sector and the performance gap between the best and worst providers in general FE colleges has started to narrow. However, this masks a wide variation in the success rates across sector subject areas and for different groups of providers. The gap in success rates for long courses between the best performing general FE colleges (90th percentile) and the worst performing (10th percentile) was 18% in 2004/05; in sixth form colleges, the figure is 21%.
Success rates for 2004/05 in the worst performing colleges (10th percentile) were 63%, compared to 81% for colleges in the 90th percentile; for sixth form colleges, the comparable figures are 67% and 87%. The performance gap for long courses in FE colleges has not narrowed and for NVQ Level 2 provision it has widened, with 10% of FE colleges with a success rate of 43% or below for NVQ Level 2.
In work-based learning (WBL) provision, the overall success rate for all frameworks or NVQs in 2004/05 was 53%, and the gap in full framework success rates for long courses between the best providers (90th percentile) and the worst (10th percentile) was 42% in 2004/05.
Ofsted's inspections in 2005/06 show that the trend of improvement over the first cycle of inspections of further education and sixth form colleges has continued.
Success rates have been improving in some subject areas such as media and publishing, and ICT. However, not all colleges improved their overall provision, largely as a result of weaknesses in achievement on foundation and intermediate level courses.
Inspections in 2005/06 show less encouraging outcomes for independent specialist colleges. The proportion of independent specialist colleges showing good or better capacity to improve is less than half.
The Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) reported a dramatic improvement in inspection results for WBL providers but noted that inspectors had found examples of Train to Gain provision where little or no teaching of new skills took place and where little or no value had been added to the capability of the individual employee or employer, or to the national stock.
Despite some improvements, almost a quarter of adult and community learning provision is still found to be inadequate. Teaching was once again less often found wanting than good leadership and management, but the gap had narrowed significantly.
The objectives to support Aim 3 are that:
3.1 All those working in the system are enabled to self improve, share effective practice and provide peer-to-peer support
All those working in the system have access to high quality programmes that:
3.2 develop strong and effective leaders, including governors, directors, trustees and senior managers
3.3 improve initial teacher training and continuous professional development (CPD) for further education system staff
3.4 provide a coherent package of improvement support to help those working in the system implement the Government's reforms and continually improve.
3.5 The national partners will ensure that the standards and processes for assuring, inspecting and measuring quality are fit for purpose and minimise the burden of bureaucracy
3.6 The national partners will identify provision that is, or is at risk of becoming, unsatisfactory, and, working with the organisations involved, develop and implement effective improvement plans and identify alternative sources of provision in those cases where intervention strategies fail to bring provision up to a satisfactory level within an agreed timescale
The detailed implementation plan for how these objectives will be achieved is set out here.
The achievement of these objectives and actions will mean that success rates overall will continue to rise, gaps between the best and the weakest providers will reduce and no provision will be unsatisfactory.
The indicators that will be used to measure how well these objectives are contributing to this aim are set out here.