Implementing Inclusiveness Realising
Potential
| "Practice and provision vary across the
country."
[Institute of Careers Guidance]"There should be better quality
systems. SQMS should be developed
specifically for special needs training and
education."
[Training Provider] | |
12 Improving Provision: Quality Assurance
The Issue
12.1 The Committee is aware from its wide-ranging
consultations that there is variation in the type and
quality of provision across Scotland. Our vision of
Inclusiveness is one where providers of education and
training should place the young person at the centre of the
design and delivery of their provision. There are two
issues:
- how to ensure that young people have access
to the highest possible quality of provision;
and
- how to ensure a consistent quality of
provision which is not dependent on which learning
route young people take, or on the location of the
learning environment.
12.2 The challenge for agencies and organisations who
provide education and training and other forms of support
is to ensure that there is continuous quality improvement
both within, and across organisations. This is essential to
enable young people with additional support needs to have
access to the highest possible quality of provision.
The Committee's View
12.3 The Committee recognises
that the FE and training sector and other organisations
working with young people already have a well-developed
range of quality assurance arrangements.
We recommend that these quality arrangements are
built on, and where appropriate, adapted to promote
Inclusiveness.Building on Current Arrangements
12.4 HM Inspectors (HMI) monitor
standards and quality in further education and community
education as well as schools. The Committee welcomes the
development of self-evaluation in schools through the
performance indicators in "How Good is our Schools". We
also welcome the plans outlined in the Government's
Lifelong Learning Paper "Opportunity Scotland" to improve
and streamline quality assurance arrangements in both the
statutory and voluntary sectors of community education.
This work is being taken forward on a partnership basis by
local authorities, voluntary organisations and HMI building
on current arrangements.
We recommend that the partners ensure that the new
quality assurance arrangements take account of learners
with additional support needs.12.5 A new model of quality assessment and improvement
for colleges was introduced by HMI in 1995 and a revised
version in 1998. "Quality Matters" is a quality framework
against which colleges are required to carry out
self-evaluation. The quality indicators are
cross-referenced with the Scottish Quality Management
Systems (SQMS), developed by the enterprise networks to
ensure quality in the national training programmes, and now
used by many education and training providers, and all
careers service companies.
12.6 We were encouraged to note that all colleges
responding to the Committee's FE Survey said that they had
measures in place to monitor the quality of provision, with
the main method being course evaluation and review.
12.7 Colleges undertake reviews of their work through,
for example:
- internal audit of their systems and
procedures;
- staff development and review;
- setting and reviewing annual development planning
targets, including targets for quality
development;
- course team reviews;
- analysis of performance indicator data including
student achievement, client satisfaction and
post-course success.
12.8 The HMI quality framework is written in Inclusive
terms and applies to all learners. References to people
with particular learning or support needs are incorporated
into the framework. For example, the Lifelong Learning
section refers to the "guidance tutor system and referral
procedures to meet the needs of learners"; the section on
Accommodation, equipment and materials (C2) refers to
access for disabled people; and the section on Staff (A4)
asks whether " teaching is responsive to a range of needs".
The Lifelong Learning section focuses particularly on wide
access, effective support, and guidance and advice for
progression.
12.9 Self-evaluation by colleges is verified by HMI
through independent inspection on a 5-year cycle. The
inspection and self evaluation process grades performance
as:
- very good: major strengths are evident;
- good: strengths clearly outweigh weaknesses;
- fair: in need of improvement in important
aspects;
- unsatisfactory: major weaknesses are evident.
Gradings are intended to be used as a basis for quality
improvement rather than adherence to minimum standards of
compliance.
12.10 HMI carry out thematic inspections as well as full
college inspections. "Equally Successful", published in
1996, reported on an inspection of provision for students
with learning difficulties and disabilities in further
education colleges in Scotland. Among the recommendations
were that colleges should:
- improve the quality of information on the learning
opportunities;
- ensure that procedures for identifying learning
support needs are carried out in time for support
measures to be in place at the start of the
course;
- improve the efficiency and the effectiveness of
collaboration, recognising it as an essential component
of good provision;
- extend the role of learning support specialists to
providing advice, consultancy and staff development to
subject specialists so as to ensure a consistent
approach across college and to raise levels of
competence in the whole staff complement;
- develop policies which address the needs of
students with learning difficulties and disabilities
across all aspects of college operation;
- identify and meet staff development needs and
ensure that existing competence is recognised through
certification, where appropriate;
- develop quality assurance measures, where
necessary, to cover delivery of learning support and
extended learning support.
12.11 The Committee believes
that, as part of self-improvement, colleges should assess
their progression towards Inclusiveness.
We therefore recommend that, as a first stage, the
SFEFC and HMI review the extent to which the
recommendations in "Equally Successful" have been already
been met. We also recommend that the new Quality Framework
being developed by SFEFC should specifically assess how
well colleges are providing an Inclusive learning
environment.12.12 The following quality elements in "Quality
Matters" could be built on:
A: Student experience
A1 Programme design: this is concerned with how
responsive the college programmes are to changing
client needs.
A5 Teaching process: this is concerned with the
quality of learning and teaching.
A6 Assessment: this is concerned with the quality
and management of assessment.
A8 Guidance and learner support: this is concerned
with the extent to which students follow suitable
programmes and receive support which leads to
success.
B: Lifelong learning: This is concerned with
the quality of the college's contribution to lifelong
learning through its arrangements for access, support
and progression.
C: Management and quality assurance
C1 Corporate management: This is concerned with the
college's approach to policy formulation, planning,
implementation and review.
C2 Accommodation, equipment and materials: This is
concerned with the quality of the college
accommodation, equipment and materials.
C3 Management of College Accommodation: Equipment
and Materials - this is concerned with how
accommodation, equipment and materials are managed.
C4 Staffing: this is concerned with the adequacy of
staff resources, and the deployment and development of
staff.
C5 Quality assurance: This is concerned with the
college's arrangements for ensuring that quality
standards are effectively specified and met.
C6 Quality improvement: this is concerned with the
extent to which the college actively pursues continuous
improvement in the quality of its provision.
Scottish Quality Management System
12.13 SQMS is an audit based system and is a contractual
requirement for all training providers and colleges acting
as training providers who deliver Skillseekers and Training
for Work. SQMS is also a requirement for all careers
service companies in Scotland. SQMS combines internal audit
(self-assessment) and external audit and brings together
best practice from a range of quality systems (HMI, SQA,
IiP and ISO 9000). SQMS can be cross-referred to other
quality standards, helping to reduce the "audit burden" on
education and training providers.
12.14 An independent SQMS unit (SQMS Scotland) has
recently been established to run the external audit process
including the appointment, training and professional
updating of auditors. A SQMS Standards Council with
representation from SOEID, SE, HIE, SQA, careers service,
further education and training providers and employers will
oversee the work of the unit. The SQMS Standards Council
will be responsible for developing, maintaining and
reviewing the SQMS standards.
12.15 SQMS is recognised as a
comprehensive and robust set of standards for vocational
training and the careers service. It is also used by a
range of other organisations and is well regarded. The
Committee believes that SQMS should be built on and
enhanced in order to specifically assess the quality of
provision for people with additional support needs. Some
standards (such as 11b used by careers service companies)
already take account of clients with additional support
needs
. We recommend that SQMS be further developed to
assess Inclusiveness, i.e. for training providers, how well
the design and delivery of training is matched to the needs
and abilities of the individual; and for careers service
companies, how well guidance meets the needs of the
individual. We also recommend that the new SQMS Standards
Council review the quality standards to assess more
specifically how well organisations are providing an
Inclusiveness approach to training and
guidance.12.16 There are 14 SQMS standards used by education and
training providers and 11 standards used by careers service
companies. The Committee has identified the relevant SQMS
standards which could be further developed and these are
outlined below:
Training Providers and Colleges
Staffing: The structure, level, and type
of staffing is appropriate for the education and training
services provided. (Standard 4)
Staff Development: Staff development
provision meets organisational and individual needs.
(Standard 5)
Guidance Services: The needs of individual
learners are identified, action plans/personal training
plans are formulated, progress is reviewed and support is
provided where needed. (Standard 11)
Programme design: The outcomes and content
of programmes are relevant; forms and structure encourage
access and are responsive to needs; learning and assessment
methods are appropriate to the aims and purposes of the
programmes. (Standard 12)
Programme delivery: Training and teaching
is purposeful and there is attention to the needs of
individuals; the methods used are appropriate, emphasise
activity and responsibility, and are varied. (Standard
13)
Assessment for certification: Assessment
instruments allow evidence of all candidates' sustained
competence to be gathered; the evidence conforms with the
standards required by the awarding body; assessment is
internally verified; awarding body requirements for
external verification are met; there is an appeals system.
(Standard 14)
Careers Service Companies
Staffing: The structure, level and type of staffing are
appropriate for the career service. (Standard 4)
Staff development: Staff development
provision meets organisation and individual needs.
(Standard 5)
12.17 The following standards already take account of
people with additional support needs:
- Careers service delivery overview: This standard is
specific to careers service companies and refers to
effective and impartial information services, careers
guidance and the opportunity to enter appropriate
education, training or employment and effective
partnership arrangements. (Standard 11b);
- Equal Opportunities (Standard 6) and Premises and
Equipment (Standard 8) are generic to all users of SQMS
and refer to clients/ learners with additional support
needs and take account of relevant legislation.
12.18 The Committee believes
that those undertaking the external audit of SQMS should
have sufficient knowledge and understanding of the
principles of Inclusiveness and the needs of young people
who require additional support in further education or
training.
We recommend that SQMS Scotland ensure that
auditors have the appropriate expertise and training to
assess Inclusiveness.12.19 These recommendations are
directed to the bodies who are responsible for quality in
education and training. However, we believe that
consideration should be given to closer harmonisation
between quality assurance systems in education and
training. We welcome the fact that the FE Strategic
Framework "Opportunities for All" has asked colleges to
work with SFEFC and HMI to streamline and integrate quality
systems with a view to creating one simple, coherent system
of standards, targets, indicators and independent
verification. In the longer term, we would like to see a
degree of harmonisation of quality management and assurance
systems across further education and training.
We would recommend that SFEFC, the SQMS Standards
Council and HMI work together to consider how greater
harmonisation might be achieved.Summary of Recommendations
We recommend that:
The FE and training sector, and other organisations
working with young people should build on their existing
quality arrangements, and where appropriate, adapt them to
promote Inclusiveness. (Paragraph 12.3)
Local authorities, voluntary organisations and HMI
should ensure that the new quality assurance arrangements
for community learning provision take account of learners
with additional support needs. (Paragraph 12.4)
SFEFC and HMI should review the extent to which the
recommendations in "Equally Successful" have already been
met. (Paragraph 12.11)
The new Quality Framework being developed by SFEFC
should specifically assess how well colleges are providing
an Inclusive learning environment. (Paragraph12.11)
SQMS be further developed to assess Inclusiveness, i.e.
for training providers, how well the design and delivery of
training is matched to the needs and abilities of the
individual; and for careers service companies, how well
guidance meets the needs of the individual. (Paragraph
12.15)
The new SQMS Standards Council should review the quality
standards to assess more specifically how well
organisations are providing an Inclusive approach to
training, and guidance. (Paragraph 12.15)
SQMS Scotland should ensure that external auditors have
the appropriate expertise and training to assess
Inclusiveness. (Paragraph 12.18)
SFEFC, the SQMS Standards Council and HMI should work
together to consider how there could be greater
harmonisation of quality assurance for further education
and training. (Paragraph 12.19)
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