Ofsted round-up – This week: London Borough of Enfield re-inspection heralds improved results

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London

Summary of grades awarded:

Effectiveness of provision Good: Grade 2

Capacity to improve Good: Grade 2

Achievement and standards Good: Grade 2

Quality of provision Good: Grade 2

Leadership and management Good: Grade 2

Equality of opportunity Contributory grade Good: Grade 2

Sector subject area:

Community Learning Good: Grade 2

The adult and family learning team located within the community learning division of the family and child service group oversees adult and community learning in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC). The Royal Borough currently holds a contract with Central London Learning and Skills Council (LSC), and subcontracts most of its adult and community learning provision between Kensington and Chelsea further education college, and 12 local voluntary or community sector organisations.

RBKC achieved good grades overall, and inspectors noted that since it was last inspected in 2005, and reinspected in 2006, it has worked successfully to deal with the weakness identified. Significantly, attendance rates have increased from 63 per cent in 2005/06 to roughly 90 per cent in 2007/08. Ofsted commended RBKC’s effective self-assessment, and inspectors said: "The overall service self-assessment report was generally accurate and suitably critical. Inspectors agreed with grades for all aspects of provision." Providers are highly supportive of the service’s improvement strategies and communications, and involvement in development planning is generally good.

Learners were found to increase in confidence, attain good standards of work and develop good practical skills towards employment through RBKC’s good development of personal, educational and employment skills. Individuals are able to acquire sufficient knowledge and skills to enable them to gain appropriate employment through attending programmes on job seeking and interviews.

Leadership and management was also found to be good, with strategic management praised as being particularly effective. It has been well aligned to meet the priorities of the borough and its residents, and engagement with and promotion of economic regeneration and employability agendas was found to be very effective. However, coherence of progression planning, and the proportion of good or better teaching amongst community partners was highlighted as key areas of improvement. Accommodation and facilities in some community venues and the coordination of advice and guidance services also joined the list of areas to be improved upon.

West London Training Ltd, Aldershot

Summary of grades awarded:

Effectiveness of provision Satisfactory: Grade 3

Capacity to improve Satisfactory: Grade 3

Achievement and standards Good: Grade 2

Quality of provision Satisfactory: Grade 3

Leadership and management Satisfactory: Grade 3

Equality of opportunity Contributory grade Inadequate: Grade 4

Sector subject area:

Building services Satisfactory: Grade 3

West London Training Limited (WLT) is a building services training organisation that operates across Surrey and Hampshire. The company has held a contract with Surrey LSC since March 2007, and is now funded to provide apprenticeship programmes in plumbing, electrical installation, and gas maintenance and installation. All its learners are employed and attend the centre one day each week, with assessment taking place in the centre and in the workplace.

The effectiveness of WLT’s provision was deemed to be satisfactory, with its achievements and standards found to be good, and the quality of provision satisfactory. Although it has a clear commitment to continuously improve the quality of provision, its efforts were judged as satisfactory by Ofsted. The company has yet to provide relevant training for senior managers to monitor and manage company and staff performance. It also insufficiently plans formal arrangements for business planning and performance management.

The report states that WLT inadequately offers equality of opportunity for its learners. Ofsted said the company "does not sufficiently encourage young people from under-represented groups to enrol on its apprentice programmes … It has not been successful in recruiting female learners to its own plumbing or electrical institution programmes…"

WLT’s quality of provision was rates as satisfactory, although this was over-graded in its self-assessment. It has, however, made considerable and continuous investment to establish and improve the centre. Workshop bays are sufficient for assessment and training bays are appropriately constructed and of a suitable size. Support and guidance for learners was also said to be satisfactory, and tutors include initial advice in a comprehensive induction programme.

London Borough of Enfield (Workstep), Middlesex

Summary of grades awarded:

Effectiveness of provision Satisfactory: Grade 3

Capacity to improve Satisfactory: Grade 3

Achievement and standards Satisfactory: Grade 3

Quality of provision Satisfactory: Grade 3

Leadership and management Satisfactory: Grade 3

Equality of opportunity Contributory grade Satisfactory: Grade 3

Sector subject area:

Preparation of life and work Satisfactory: Grade 3

The London Borough of Enfield (the borough) holds a contract with the Department for Work and Pensions, North London, to provide Workstep for six participants. Inspectors judged the borough to be inadequate for overall effectiveness, capacity to improve and leaderships and management at the previous inspection in July 2007. The achievement and standards and quality of provision were rated as satisfactory, as were the arrangements for equality of opportunity and preparation for life and work.

The measures taken to raise standards and improve quality since the previous inspection are satisfactory. As a result, the borough’s inspection grade profile has improved. However, there is still insufficient advice and guidance for the participants who are seeking to change their employment, but discussions have now taken place and plans are being developed. It has now set out contractual arrangements to ensure better management of the provision.

Achievement and standards were deemed satisfactory overall, and the development of work-related and personal skills is good, and were good at the previous inspection too. According to the report: "All participants are well-trained for their work roles and attend updating courses such as those in manual lifting and health and safety. They gain good personal skills, particularly self-confidence and independence."

Leadership and management was rated by Ofsted as satisfactory, and was also an area which improved since the last inspection. There is a good liaison between a new employment service set up by the department to make Workstep provision more well known within social services. A new and comprehensive contract for the external host employers and the subcontractor is also about to be implemented. However, The slow implementation of procedures to monitor contractual arrangements with external host employers was listed as a key area of improvement.