Ofsted round-up – This week: Inadequate results from providers in Essex and Wigan

Quality Staff Training, Essex

Summary of grades awarded:

Effectiveness of provision Inadequate: Grade 4

Capacity to improve Inadequate: Grade 4

Achievement and standards Inadequate: Grade 4

Quality of provision Satisfactory: Grade 3

Leadership and management Inadequate: Grade 4

Equality of opportunity Contributory grade: Satisfactory: Grade 3

Sector subject area:

Health and social care Inadequate: Grade 4

Quality Staff Training (QST) was founded in 2006 as part of the Morepower Ltd group of companies and holds a contract with the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to provide Train to Gain provision. It offers health and social care programmes to adults at NVQ levels 2 and 3. Currently 38 learners are undertaking an NVQ at level 2 and 5 learners are at level 3.

Ofsted found QST’s overall effectiveness to be inadequate and demonstrates an inadequate capacity to improve. Recent implementation of quality assurance has been more effective and the company has very recently appointed a new assessor to start learners who have been enrolled for some time. QST has no internal observation scheme to evaluate training and assessment.

Although QST responds to identified areas for improvement swiftly, the self-assessment process is not consultative. The report evaluates a minority of key points satisfactorily, however, it is not a good tool for improving quality. Ofsted found that the company inadequately uses information to evaluate the quality of provision. Key strengths include particularly high success rates in 2007/08 and good development of workplace skills.

Achievements and standards are also inadequate, however this was not identified in QST’s self-assessment report. Overall success rates for 2007/08 were particularly high at 94%. However, timely completion of qualifications in 2008/09 is low, currently, at 17%. Overall success rates are declining in 2008/09 compared with 2007/08. Approximately half of learners who have not been allocated an assessor are making no progress and are already beyond target completion date.

Working Wonders, Wigan

Summary of grades awarded:

Effectiveness of provision Inadequate: Grade 4

Capacity to improve Inadequate: Grade 4

Achievement and standards Inadequate: Grade 4

Quality of provision Inadequate: Grade 4

Leadership and management Inadequate: Grade 4

Equality of opportunity Contributory Grade: Inadequate: Grade 4

Sector subject area:

Literacy numeracy and ESOL Inadequate: Grade 4

Working Wonders (Education) Ltd (WWEL) contracts with Greater Manchester LSC to provide Train to Gain provision up to and including level 2 qualifications in literacy and numeracy. During 2008/09, 50 learners were on programmes including several learners currently. This is WWEL’s first inspection of the Train to Gain contract. WWEL has a subcontract with Wigan council to deliver adult and community learning which includes two funding streams. The first is neighbourhood learning in deprived communities (NLDC) funding to deliver a ‘first steps’ Skills for Life programme of eight sessions to each learner, including ESOL. The second is funding for personal and community development learning (PCDL) non-accredited short courses, of which approximately 85 learners are on this programme.

Ofsted found that the overall effectiveness of the provision is inadequate and that the quality of the provision is also inadequate but satisfactory in Train to Gain. The quality of provision is inadequate overall, but satisfactory in Train to Gain. While teaching is satisfactory, the use of information technology (IT) across literacy, numeracy and ESOL provision is insufficient. WWEL has an inadequate capacity to improve, Processes to improve teaching and learning are inadequate and WWEL has shown that it does not have a clear structure for strategic management and development. Data is both inaccurate and unreliable.

The self-assessment process is inadequate in promoting continuous improvement and Staff are consulted satisfactorily in the process. The self-assessment report is not sufficiently accurate. Judgements are not supported by sufficient evidence and the self-assessment grades are significantly higher than inspection grades. The report accurately identifies the need to reinstate quality improvement meetings but fails to identify the significant improvements needed in strategic management and RARPA process. Key strengths include good achievement in Train to Gain.

Overall, achievements and standards are inadequate. While overall achievement of Train to Gain literacy and numeracy qualifications is good, the timely success rate is satisfactory with 54% of learners achieving within the planned time. The self-assessment report partially identifies this strength but over graded it. Many targets for Train to Gain learners are insufficiently challenging and are too broad.

Natalie Hailes