To provide the Committee with an update on the New Directions College including information on the core service offer, performance, emerging developments and learner feedback.

The Principal and Adult Learning & Skills Manager for New Directions submitted a report that set out the key activities and outcomes delivered by New Directions College, the Council’s Adult and Community Education service, covering the period between January 2022 and June 2023.

The report provided an update on the work of the college and highlighted the college’s core service offer, funding arrangements, key performance and achievement figures, emerging developments, wider community and business partnerships, as well as learner feedback and satisfaction survey results.

The Committee heard that the current overall achievement rate for government funded education and skills at New Directions College was 91.4% for 2021-22, which was 2.6% above the last known national average rate of (88.8% in 2020) and marked an 18% improvement since 2018 when the overall achievement rate at the college had been 73.4%.

In March 2023 the college had established a new Governance Board consisting of the Lead Councillor for Education and Public Health, the Assistant Director for Culture and Assistant Director for Housing and Neighbourhood Services, two external representatives from the further education sector, the Council’s Public Health Consultant, and BFfC’s Director of Education. The Governance Board, whilst not a mandatory requirement, would meet three times a year and help to drive service delivery. The Committee also heard that the college, along with leisure and culture services in Reading, was formally recognised by the Local Government Chronicle (LGC) and awarded winner of the Diversity and Inclusion category at the LGC Awards event held in June 2023.

Whilst discussing the content of the report the Committee asked whether any data had been gathered that monitored the employability prospects of students in the long term. Andrea Wood advised that the Department for Education did not require the colleges to collect this type of information, but that destination data had been gathered for students and could be circulated to the Committee for assurance.

The Committee thanked Andrea Wood for the report and congratulated the team at New Directions College for their hard work.

Resolved –    

(1)            That the New Directions Annual Update report be noted.

(2)            That student destination data be circulated to members of the Committee and be included in any future annual reports.