Issue - meetings

Report of the Service Director, Growth outlining the position in Southampton with regards to Post 16 education and training.

The Committee considered the report of the Service Director, Growth outlining the position in Southampton with regards to Post 16 education and training.

Alex Scott and Rebecca Stratton - Itchen College; Dr Liz Lee and Paul Swindale - Richard Taunton; Sarah Stannard - City College; Paul Overton - Bitterne park 6^th Form; James Rouse and Andrea Matteucci - St Annes; Councillor Paffey – Southampton City Council Cabinet Member for Aspiration, Schools and Lifelong Learning;  and Southampton City Council Officers, Derek Wiles – School Improvement; Denise Edghill – Associate Director, Economic Development and Skills; and Sajid Butt – Strategic Skills Manager; were present and with the consent of the Chair addressed the Panel.

The Panel discussed the following:

·  Where students living in Southampton were attending further education establishments and what was the breakdown of students traveling to these educational establishments from outside the City’s boundaries;

·  The current research into students who did not complete their further education studies.  The Panel expressed an interest in the findings of this research and noted that some students who had not completed their studies outside the City had returned to one of the City’s establishments to complete them;

·  The impact of the increasing trend in students receiving unconditional offers from universities;

·  The measures used by the Department for Education (DFE) to ascertain the effectiveness of the City’s establishments.  The Panel were informed by the local colleges that the measures used did not reflect a holistic view of performance.  It was expressed that this should be reflected in any future conversations with the further education commissioner;

·  The need for colleges to better promote their successes and more clearly indicate how young people’s outcomes have been both matched and transformed through their attendance post 16 education with in the City: and

·  How a greater emphasis on the travel plans could be an asset to both the colleges, promoting themselves as a greener alternative that was cheaper and healthier for students as they would have the ability to travel to colleges by foot; bicycle or public transport, and the City as a whole, in the reduction of additional traffic. 

RESOLVED that the Panel requested:

(i)  that the number of students coming in to Southampton from outside the city for further education studies is circulated to the Panel;

(ii)  that the findings from the research into students not completing further education studies in Southampton is circulated to the Panel;

(iii)  That colleges and schools provide to the Panel information relating to:

(a)  The proportion of students that receive unconditional offers from universities; and

(b)  The difference in grades between the expected and achieved performance of students that receive unconditional offers.

(iv)  That, reflecting comments relating to the DFE data not providing a holistic view of performance by Southampton further education providers, consideration would be given to the measures of performance that should be included in future conversations relating to the performance of the sector in Southampton.

(v)  That, to help promote further education providers in Southampton and inspire  ...  view the full minutes text for item 30