GLASGOW KELVIN COLLEGE LEARNING AND TEACHING COMMITTEE MINUTES

Transcription

1 GLASGOW KELVIN COLLEGE LEARNING AND TEACHING COMMITTEE MINUTES Minute of the meeting held on Wednesday 26 at 5pm in the Boardroom of the Springburn Campus. 1. Sederunt Elizabeth Robertson (Chair); Irving Hodgson (ex officio); Alan Sherry (ex officio); Alan Robertson; Barbara Watt; Andrew Aitken (Student Board Member); David Weatherston (Teaching Staff Member); and Chris Rogers (Support Staff Member). In attendance: Alan Inglis (Vice Principal); Stephen Smith (Head of School, Construction and Building Services); Carlyn McNab (Head of School Science and Technology); Craig Green (Head of Information and Community Services); Jennifer McKay (Academic Board Representative); and Heather Learmonth (for recording purposes). 2. Apologies Apologies were received from Ian Patrick. 3. Terms of Reference It was confirmed that the meeting was quorate with eight members in attendance. 4. Declarations of Interest J McKay declared an interest in item 7 Co-option from Academic Board. 5. Minutes of the Previous Meeting held on 28 November 2013 The minute of the previous meeting was accepted as an accurate record of the business conducted on 28 November Matters arising from Minutes of Previous Meeting held on 28 November 2013 Item 6 College Ethos 2013/14 E Robertson confirmed that the College Ethos was submitted to the December 2013 Board of Management Meeting where it was approved. 1

2 Item 8 Self-Evaluation Reports 2012/13 Quality Enhancement Priorities A Inglis confirmed that a report on the Self-Evaluation process would be considered at the first meeting of the Learning and Teaching Committee of the 2014/15 academic year. Item 14 Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill A Sherry confirmed that he had shared the Committee s comments with the Chief Executive of Colleges Scotland who reported that the College was the only one which had made such feedback. Following discussion, it was agreed that that item would be kept on the Committee agenda. It was also agreed that A Sherry would bring back a report to a future meeting of the committee which would detail the implications of the Bill (once approved) for staff and Board members. 7. Co-option from Academic Board J McKay declared an interest in this item. The Vice Principal Learning and Teaching spoke to the content of this report which sought to inform members of the nomination from the Academic Board to the Learning and Teaching Committee. A Inglis informed members that the Academic Board held its first meeting on 14 and at that meeting members welcomed the proposal that a member of the Academic Board be co-opted to the Learning and Teaching Committee. Members endorsed the nomination of J McKay and the Chair welcomed her to the meeting with in attendance status. Following discussion it was agreed that the Chair would write a paper for the March Board of Management meeting asking for J McKay to be co-opted as a member of its Learning and Teaching Committee. It was also agreed that the Academic Board minutes would, when available, be added to the agenda of future Learning and Teaching Committee meeting. i) endorse the nomination of Jennifer McKay as the Academic Board s representative on the Learning and Teaching Committee; and ii) request the Board of Management to consider co-opting Jennifer McKay as a member of its Learning and Teaching Committee. 8. SFC re College Performance Indicators The Vice Principal Strategy, Planning and Corporate Services spoke to the content of this report which sought to provide members with details of the recent summary of FE sector Performance Indicators provided by the Scottish Funding Council for academic year 2012/13. 2

3 C Stronach informed members that this was the eleventh annual publication of Performance Indicators for Scotland s colleges and covered the academic year. The main results for the college sector as a whole were as follows: For Full time FE students enrolled on recognised qualifications: % of 48,754 learners had completed their studies irrespective of the result(including partial success) and 65.4% successfully completed; 2. The remaining 23% of students are accounted for by 8.7% of students withdrawing before the funding qualifying date and a further 14.6% between this point and the end of the course; and For Full time HE students enrolled on recognised qualifications: % of a total of 31,656 students completed their studies irrespective of the result and 70.4% successfully completed; 2. The remaining 17.9% of students are accounted for by 5.7% of students withdrawing before the funding qualifying date and a further 12.2% between this point and the end of the course. She reported that compared to previous academic years there were generally fewer part time courses available, which was as a direct consequence of Scottish Government policy to focus resources on full-time provision for those aged between years. She continued that for those learners supported by an employer the motivation and success rate were generally higher than those on full-time programmes. A Inglis informed members that a report on Glasgow figures with a comparison of the College against Clyde and City of Glasgow Colleges would be brought to the next meeting of the committee. Following comprehensive discussion, C Stronach reported that the legacy colleges would be using their own self-evaluation reports until August 2014, when a new procedure would be introduced. She reported that staff would be briefed on this new procedure in August A Inglis informed members that an annual report on attainment and achievement would be considered by the Committee each academic year. i) note the contents of the Vice Principal s report; and ii) note that the SFC report would be considered by the Academic Board and course teams. 9. Glasgow & North East Area Schools SLDRs/Attainment The Vice Principal Strategy, Planning and Corporate Services spoke to the content of this report which sought to provide members with the key points in the School Leaver Destination Return Analysis of Schools and to outline the analysis of the Glasgow SLDR figures as provided by SDS. C Stronach informed members although at Standard Grade Foundation level the average attainment at the ten local schools was broadly similar to that for both 3

4 Glasgow and Scotland, it became evident from more advanced qualifications that there was a disparity in levels of attainment for Glasgow and the College s community. In all but three cases (Bannerman, St Andrews and St Roch s) levels of attainment were significantly lower (% of S4 pupils Achieving 1 or more Higher by end S5) than those for Glasgow, producing an average of 31.5% gaining one Higher or more against a Glasgow rate of 40% and a Scotland rate of 48%. Therefore despite progress at Standard Grade pupils at local schools in North East Glasgow are not attaining Higher Grade qualifications in line with the Glasgow average. As a consequence this impacts on their ability to compete effectively for places in Higher Education and some sectors of the employment market. She reported that in only two local schools (Bannerman High School and St Andrew s Secondary School, both relatively high achieving schools) was the level of Free School Meals somewhat lower than the 27.3% which was the Glasgow average. It therefore follows that where there was a significantly higher level of Free School Meals, there was a lower level of attainment, a negative correlation which highlighted the impact of poverty on attainment. As members would be aware the College operated in communities with significantly high levels of deprivation where the average dependency on Free School Meals was 33.4%, well ahead of the Glasgow average and considerably greater than the Scottish average of 15.5%. As a consequence the College required to take account of this factor when planning its curriculum portfolio in order to provide its local communities with access to appropriate levels of qualifications. She continued that the challenge for the College was to provide learning and skills which would enable local young learners to progress to more advanced qualifications during their time at College by ensuring access level programmes which articulate ultimately with HN and other advanced provision. C Stronach informed members that from the ten local schools in 2012/13 there were 1566 leavers circa one third of all Glasgow leavers (4572) and for the purposes of the SLDR it should be noted that, while Further Education includes non-advanced learning at college up to NQ level, the figure for Higher Education included HNC/D programmes, the vast majority of which were delivered by the FE sector, and degrees. SDS calculated that, in Glasgow, some 40% of those going on to study at HE level were, in fact, doing so within FE colleges. Therefore, it would appear that the local community punched above its weight when it comes to accessing FE college learning, Training and Employment. She continued that the North East Area performed well against both Glasgow and Scotland in the Employment sphere, with 22.2% of school leavers progressing into work against 18.6% and 20.4% respectively. Only Lochend Community High School and Springburn Academy were below the Glasgow level for progressing young people to Employment. This overall positive figure may be a function of the various local employment initiatives and strong partnerships which worked successfully to support young people into the workplace. A Robertson queried what the local catchment area for the College was. A Sherry informed members that this was identified using Glasgow postcodes. Discussion then took place regarding internal articulation routes and how a sense of belonging to the College could be created for students across all campuses. C 4

5 Stronach informed members that she was working with the Students Association to produce case studies across the curriculum which would highlight how students have progressed. It was also agreed that past students would be asked to talk to current learners to explain how the college has had an impact on their careers. i) note the content of the report and its appendices; and ii) request the College to consider this data in its curriculum planning processes and at its OMT Planning Sessions; 10. Draft National Youth Work Strategy The Vice Principal Learning and Teaching spoke to the content of this report which sought to apprise members of the contents of the daft National Youth Work Strategy and of the arrangements for consulting on it. A Inglis informed members that the draft National Youth Work Strategy sought to improve outcomes for young people by ensuring access for all young people to high quality and effective youth work practice and by changing the way in which public services were delivered. It set out five ambition statements with associated outcomes - which sought to: put young people at the heart of policy; ensure Scotland is the best place to be young and to grow up in; recognise the value of youth work; build workforce capacity; and ensure we measure our impact. He reported that the draft strategy recognised that young people had an entitlement to be supported by skilled, competent youth work practitioners who took account of their whole wellbeing. The draft strategy valued the contribution of the professional youth work workforce and sought to work with Education Scotland and the CLD Standards Council to build a sustainable culture of training, support and continuous professional development. It also sought to support and value volunteers and to recognise young people s contribution to youth work. He further reported that delivered a significant volume of youth work, which was a key strand of the provision it made to support the transition of young people who were looked after or leaving care to further learning or work. The College also delivered a substantial Youth Access programme which was delivered in community venues across the north east of Glasgow and which used creative digital media to engage young people in lifelong learning. The value of the Youth Access programme has recently been recognised by a Beacon Award. It has also been highlighted as best practice in recent Education Scotland inspections of Community Learning and Development in the east of the city. The Transitions programme for looked after young people had also been highlighted as best practice by Education Scotland through their college review process. He continued that this provision appeared to sit well with the aims and ambitions of the draft strategy and the College had engaged with the consultation process on the draft strategy. A Inglis reported that staff had attended nationally organised consultation events, and the College s Community Development team had arranged 5

6 for representatives from YouthLink Scotland to provide an additional local event for learners. i) note the contents of the Vice Principal s report and its appendix; and ii) request that a draft Youth Work Strategy for be developed and brought to a future meeting of the committee (once the national strategy is finalised and its implementation plan has been produced). 11. Draft Statement of Ambition for Adult Learning The Head of Information and Community Services spoke to the content of this report which sought to inform members of the College s contribution to, and the progress with, a draft Statement of Ambition for Adult Learning in Scotland. C Green informed members the Statement had been drafted by a group established by Education Scotland in response to a conference about Adult Learning held in Newbattle Abbey in March 2013 which concluded that while there were clear frameworks and structures supporting young people s learning in Scotland, there had been no equivalent for adult learning. He continued that for the draft Statement outlined the ambition required to support the development of Scotland s adults in family, work, community and personal life and provided a framework in which the College and its partners can recognise current services and which encourages further development of the partnerships which underpin the College s community services. A Sherry informed members that C Green had worked very hard on the Statement of Ambition, which would now form part of the negotiation for Glasgow. E Robertson thanked C Green for his work on this project. i) note the contents of the report; and ii) request that the Statement of Ambition for Adult Learning when published is brought back to the Learning and Teaching Committee for further consideration in the context of a report on the College s contribution to adult learning in communities and workplaces. 12. University of Dundee Degree Provision The Vice Principal Learning and Teaching spoke to the content of this report which sought to inform members of recent developments relating to issues arising from degree level provision previously developed by legacy North Glasgow College with the University of Dundee. A Inglis informed members that shortly prior to merger North Glasgow College developed arrangements with the University of Dundee to deliver four year Honours Degrees in Jewellery and Visual Arts and it was assumed by both legacy North Glasgow College and Dundee University that places on these programmes could be funded from the new college/university articulation arrangements developed by the Funding Council. 6

7 He reported that the Scottish Funding Council subsequently clarified that the arrangement between (now) and the University of Dundee represented a degree validation rather than an articulation agreement and that as a consequence places could not be funded through the new articulation arrangements. The uncertainty caused by this decision had led to a number of complaints from learners who were concerned that they would be unable to complete their studies to degree level. The Vice Principal informed members that the College had met with representatives of the SFC and the University of Dundee in January 2014 after which it was agreed that the University would formalise in writing its validation of these Glasgow Kelvin programmes and that students currently in year 2 or 3 of their studies would be able to complete degree programmes at the College. In response to questions, A Sherry informed members that as the policy had shifted, the College would need to be very careful about continuing with these type of courses and explained that the University of the West of Scotland were withdrawing from most of their degree provision delivered in colleges. He informed members that the College would consider its approach to supporting degree provision as part of the planned review of the curriculum. i) note the contents of the report and its appendices; ii) note the steps that the College was taking to ensure that existing learners had the opportunity to progress their studies; and iii) request that the College provided a further report at a future meeting of the Learning and Teaching Committee on the progress made in developing its arrangements with the University of Dundee. 13. Glasgow Caledonian University re College Connect Strategy The Head of Science and Technology spoke to the content of this report which sought to inform members of the regional articulation HUB which was developed since 2008 to deliver an effective widening access measure that offered college students with Higher National qualifications varied routes to degree study. In 2013 universities has the opportunity to bid for additional funding from SFC for Additional Articulation Places for Students progressing from HNC and HNDs. C McNab informed members that Glasgow Caledonian University had responded to this initiative by creating their College Connect Strategy, which built on the experience of Greater Glasgow Articulation Partnership with the aim to increase articulating students from 600 to 1000 by 2015/16. She reported that there were 2 strands of work. Strand 1 which supported the student experience of articulation by the creation of the College Connect Academy which provided pre-engagement and transition activities and events and Strand 2 which involved forming Strategic Partnerships with colleges to undertake joint planning and curriculum development and CPD activities including College and University Subject Partnerships activities. 7

8 She continued that the College worked closely with GCU to support learner progression and welcomed the development of this strategic approach to improving articulation. Members of the Learning and Teaching Committee agreed to note the contents of the report. 14. Commission for Development Scotland Employer Engagement Glasgow The Head of Construction and Building Services spoke to the content of this report which sought to apprise members of the Employer Engagement Consultation response from Glasgow Region Colleges. S Smith informed members that the Employer Engagement Consultation response highlighted the extensive and wide-ranging employer engagement activities and arrangements that existed within Glasgow Region Colleges and detailed five key areas in relation to employer engagement which were: partnership with employers new opportunities to develop relationships and activities with local employers engagement with economic development at a local level; connections with national sectoral networks; and barriers to employment engagement. He reported that the response paper highlighted the significant volume and breadth of engagement that currently existed with employers and recognised the need for a variety of approaches, partnership models and delivery types. He continued that the Glasgow response stressed the importance of regular consultation with existing sectors and employers and the need to identify new/growth sectors. i) note the contents of the report and its appendix; and ii) request that the final report of the Commission for Developing Scotland s Young Workforce be brought to a future meeting of the Learning and Teaching Committee. 15. College Student Support Funds: outcome of the in-year management of Student Support Funds for AY and the clawback of funds from AY The Vice Principal Learning and Teaching spoke to the content of the report which sought to provide members with an update in respect of the College s Student Support Funds. He reported that the Scottish Funding Council provided all colleges with an opportunity to request additional Student Support Funds and that the College had submitted a request for 1m to address the inherited excessive over-commitment and allow the College to make awards to learners placed on waiting lists. He explained that the SFC had issued a circular on 20 December 2014 confirming that the College was to be allocated an additional 573k and that this was reported to the Board of Management in January Since then, the College had also secured an 8

9 additional 113k from the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) which can be used to provide assistance to HE learners only. He continued that unfortunately, the SFC had also confirmed that they would clawback student support funds in respect of academic year 2011/12 based on the totality of student fund allocations from the SFC and in relation to the sector European project and that this has not been accounted for previously and therefore would be charged to the College Income & Expenditure account in financial year 2013/14. He further continued that the Student Support Teams would continue to review the allocations made from the funds and the additional funding received had enabled some additional support to be provided to learners. The Vice Principal reported it was anticipated that student support expenditure would now be close to the funding allocations from the SFC and SAAS by the end of the academic year. However the College was not in a position to allocate significant additional funds to learners on waiting lists or accept further applications for full time bursaries. i) note the contents of this report; ii) note the additional funding allocated by the SFC and SAAS; and iii) note that the likelihood and materiality of a significant overspend was now reduced. 16. HMIe Report Lews Castle College UHI report, 31 January 2014 The Chair informed members that items 16 noted above had been provided for information purposes. 17. Risk Management Risk Issues to be considered as a consequence of the consideration of the above agenda. It was agreed that there were no new Risk management issues raised as a consequence of the business conducted at the meeting. 18. Equality Management Equality Issues to be considered as a consequence of the consideration of the above agenda. It was agreed that there were no new Equality management issues raised as a consequence of the business conducted at the meeting. 19. Closure The meeting closed at 6.40pm with the Chair thanking all in attendance for their contribution. 20 Date of Next Meeting The next meeting will be held at 5pm on Tuesday 3 June 2014, venue to be confirmed. 9