Ofsted round-up – This week: Work-based Learning providers get their results

Arthur Rank Training Unit, Kenilworth

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:

Preparation for life and work Good: Grade 2

Based in Kenilworth, Arthur Rank Training Limited (ART) is a voluntary sector training provider offering programmes for 14 to 19 year old learners who are educationally and socially disadvantaged. ART holds a 97 place contract with Coventry and Warwickshire Learning and Skills Council for the provision of E2E, which provides 66 per cent of its business. The provider has extended its provision for 14 to 16 year olds in partnership with two local authorities and 33 schools, and has confirmed a further contract to develop an extended learning centre. In January last year, inspectors judged all aspects of the provision to be in inadequate, with equality of opportunity rated as satisfactory.

ART’s report card this year shows significant improvement, with good grades across the board. Ofsted revealed the overall effectiveness of the provision is now good, and said more specifically that the provision in E2E, equality of opportunity and leadership and management are all rated as good. Inspectors commented: "Learners develop good personal skills such as self-confidence, self-esteem and employability alongside valuable trade and literacy and numeracy skills."

Ofsted highlighted that rates of progression into Further Education and employment are now satisfactory, and the achievement of key objectives has also "considerably improved" since its last inspection. However, although the teaching and learning in practical and theory learning sessions were said to be good, the quality of learning resources, like computers, is poor. Learners are not achieving qualifications in sufficient numbers, although they are developing appropriate levels of skills in literacy and numeracy.

Leadership and management at the provider were judged as good, with its strong strategic vision and mission praised as being shared by all staff. With the help of good partnerships with a range of agencies, it is highly effective in engaging the marginalised learners in society. It also provides an extensive range of flexible learning opportunities that match the needs of learners and employers well.

Veolia Environment Development Centre, Staines

Summary of grades awarded:

Effectiveness of provision Good: Grade 2

Capacity to improve Good: Grade 2

Achievement and standards Outstanding: Grade 1

Quality of provision Good: Grade 2

Leadership and management Good: Grade 2

Equality of opportunity Contributory grade: Satisfactory: Grade 3

Sector subject area:

Construction, planning and the built environment Good: Grade 2

Veolia Group’s education and training company, Campus Veolia, was formed in 2001 to provide waste management training and qualifications to ‘Veolia environmental services’. It began providing government-funded training in January 2007, and holds its contract with the National Employer Service to provide NVQs at level 2 under Train to Gain in the area of construction, planning and the built environment.

Campus Veolia’s first inspection awarded it a good grade for the overall effectiveness of its provision, and in construction, planning and the built environment the provision was good. The provider’s achievement and standards impressed inspectors, who said it was outstanding in this area. The quality of provision is good, as is its leadership and management and equality of opportunity.

Ofsted said the provider showed a good capacity to make further improvements. In the two years it has delivered government-funded programmes, it has expanded its training portfolio while "increasing and maintaining both the high overall success rate and the timely completion rate in their Train to Gain programmes". Campus Veolia’s self-assessment process was also said to be broadly accurate, and satisfactory overall.

In the last three years, the provider has seen success rates consistently rise. In 2006/07, 100 per cent of 208 learners on programme completed their qualification, and in 2007/08, when learner numbers had rocketed to 809, the rate was 96 per cent. In the first eight months of the present year, the overall success rate is 91 per cent so far, with learner numbers continuing to increase to 860. The timely achievement of qualifications by learners has also increased over the last three years.

NHS Blood and Transplant, Leeds

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:

Business, administration and law Good: Grade 2

The learning and development team of NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) provides national non-accredited and accredited educational and training for its staff from foundation to advanced level. Roughly a quarter of its work is funded Learning and Skills Council (LSC) work-based learning. Under NHSBT’s contract with the National Employer Service of the LSC, it provides work-based learning at NVQ at level 2 and level 3 for 115 adult apprentices, and 31 Train to Gain learners.

In its first ever inspection, NHSBT gained good grades overall. According to Ofsted: "Managers make sure that there are arrangements to improve quality of provision, maintain and raise standards of teaching, training and learning and develop learners’ occupational skills to a high level." However, inspectors added that managers have been less successful in "ensuring the effective use of data and having in place systematic arrangements to observe teaching, training and learning".

As also noted in NHSBT’s self-assessment report, leadership and management was deemed as good. Staff are able to support their managers to provide a clear and "particularly relevant" strategic direction of its learning and development team. However, it was reported by inspectors that although the self-assessment process is very thorough, it does not take into account the views of learners. Despite this, learner success rates are high, and managers and staff have been able to resole issues of low timely success rates. They are said to be particularly aware of the progress and performance of individual learners.

NHSBT places strong emphasis on equality and diversity, which helped it gain a good grade for this at inspection. With clear aims, values and strategies, the provider has a thorough equality and diversity policy and single equality and diversity strategy covering race, gender, disability, age, faith and sexual orientation. All learners and staff attend regular comprehensive and mandatory training on this issue, supported by a "particularly high standard of learning materials".