Ofsted round-up – This week: Women only provider receives results

 Professional Business and Training Solutions, London

 

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 Good: Grade 2

Leadership and management Satisfactory: Grade 3

Equality of opportunity Contributory grade: Satisfactory: Grade 3

Sector subject area:

Engineering and manufacturing technologies Satisfactory: Grade 3

Registered as a private limited company in 2000, Professional Business and Training Solutions (PBTS) initially provided its own specialist courses for pathologists and phlebotomists and in 2005 it started publicly funding National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) in Clinical Laboratory Support (CLS). The provision is funded by London East Learning and Skills Council (LSC) through the Train to Gain programme.

Ofsted found the overall effectiveness of the provisions to be satisfactory with the quality of provision being good. The report found that PBTS has used innovative and effective ways of meeting employer and learner needs and widening participation. However, it also found that performance monitoring is carried out insufficiently, using informal methods rather than planned systematic procedures.

PBTS’s capacity to improve was found to be satisfactory, however there has not been a previous inspection, nd the relatively recent and changing nature of the programme makes it difficult to identify trends in data. Key strengths within the company include, good success rates for Level 3 LATA NVQ, good progression, good workplace training and assessment, programmes very effectively meeting learners’ and employers’ needs, good staff support and development, very effective strategies to widen participation.

Ofsted found that the LATA Level 3 NVQ success rate was good in 2007/08 at 86%. The Level 2 rate for the new LATA programme fell away in 2007/08 to a satisfactory 56%. Timely success rates were very good at 84% in 2006/07, fo the CLS qualification however PBTS has changed to the LATA qualification and has opened the programme to school laboratory assistants and there has been slow progress for learners with some employers. Around half the learners recruited in 2008/09 will be trained through a new programme at PBTS’s offices, but there will be at least a two month gap between recruitment and the start of the substantive programme.

 

Poole Hospital NHS Trust, Poole

 

Summary of grades awarded:

Effectiveness of provision Satisfactory: Grade 3

Capacity to improve Good: Grade 2

Achievement and standards Good: Grade 2

Quality of provision Satisfactory: Grade 3

Leadership and management Satisfactory: Grade 3

Equality of opportunity Contributory grade: Satisfactory: Grade 3

Sector subject area:

Health and social care Satisfactory: Grade 3

 

In 2007 Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust gained its foundation trust status and serves the borough of Poole and surrounding areas. The trust has contracted with the Somerset and Dorset Learning and Skills Council (LSC) since 2006 to provide Train to Gain programmes in health and social care. At the time of the inspection 33 learners were working towards National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) on the Train to Gain programme.

The overall effectiveness of PNHSFT’s provision is satisfactory with high success rates and most learners gaining in confidence and developing their workplace skills. Teaching, learning and resources are satisfactory but assessment of individual learners’ needs is insufficient.

PNHSFT’s capacity to improve is good with success rates being consistently high and effective actions being taken to improve the rate of most learners’ progress. The self-assessment process is good and although the work-based learning provision has not been inspected before, the self-assessment process is inclusive with close involvement of staff. Key strengths within the provision include high success rates, good standards of work on Level 2 programmes, very effective support and guidance from assessors and good operational management.

For 2007/08 the success rate was 89% with the success rate of learners on the additional support programme for literacy and/or numeracy skills being 100%. Learners demonstrate competent vocational skills and ensure practice of these skills provides a good level or patient care. Ofsted found that some learners make slow progress, particularly at Level 3 in which they have either exceeded their planned completion date or are current learners who have not yet made sufficient progress relative to their time on the training programme.

 

Everywomen Limited, London

 

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: Satisfactory: Grade 3

Sector subject area:

Literacy Satisfactory: Grade 3

 

Founded by the two owners in 1999, everywoman Limited (everywoman) provides learning, networking, services and events for woman, primarily in the start up and small business markets. Everywoman holds a Train to Gain contract with London East local LSC, which last year was a ‘woman only’ pilot programme for National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) in management, health and social care. This year, everywoman started a Skills for Life Train to Gain programme, that has 106 learners who work In care homes and are studying for the literacy national test at Level 1 or 2.

The overall effectiveness of everywoman is satisfactory with overall success rates for NVQs in 2007/08 being outstanding at 99%. Teaching, learning and assessment are satisfactory with learning sessions being linked very effectively into the working environment. Everywoman’s provision is good in meeting learners’ and employers’ needs with workshops being flexibly delivered around the needs of learners, employers and the workplace.

Ofsted has found that everywoman’s capacity to improve is satisfactory and has maintained outstanding NVQ overall success rates in the first year of the programme. The self-assessment process is satisfactory with it being relatively inclusive, using feedback from learners, employers and subcontractors, however, the overall self-assessment report lacks focus and does not link well to the key questions in the Common Inspection Framework. Key strengths include outstanding NVQ overall success rates, good development of work related communication skills for literacy learners, good meeting of employers’ and learners’ needs and strong strategic direction.

As mentioned before, the overall success rates for the NVQ programme in 2007/08 are outstanding with health and social care at level 2 and management at level 3 both being 100% and management at level 2 being 99%. Timely success rates are lower but satisfactory at 76%. Ofsted has found that learners develop good communication skills, which they use well in the workplace and improve their awareness of different ways of communication.

Natalie Hailes