Cheshire East Council

Published date March 2011 Inspection Number 363136 Unique reference number: 59017

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Address:

Emperor Court Emperor Way Crewe Cheshire CH1 2LL

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Address:

Telephone number: 01270 686531 Cheshire East Lifelong Learning

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Information about the provider

1. Cheshire East Lifelong Learning service (CE-LL) was formed in 2009 following the division of Cheshire County Council into two new local authorities: Cheshire East Borough Council (‘the Council’) and Cheshire West and Chester Borough Council. The lifelong learning team belongs to the integrated workforce development team which is located within the strategy and development strand of the Council’s directorate for children and families.

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Information about the provider

2. In 2009/10, CE-LL subcontracted 90% of adult learning to four colleges of further education and 14 partner organisations, comprising an educational association, independent adult education centres, third sector organisations and a Community Interest Company. CE-LL directly delivers provision in Skills for Life and family learning. The provision, directly funded and subcontracted to others, is available in 13 subject areas. Some of these subject areas have a very small number of learners and they focus on programmes to widen participation. CE-LL offers a range of literacy and numeracy courses, family learning and employer responsive learning.

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Information about the provider

3. Cheshire East Council is the third largest unitary authority in the North West of England. It is a socially diverse area, though the proportion of people from minority ethnic groups is low. An increasing number of migrant workers from Eastern Europe live and work in Crewe and the surrounding towns. At just 1.3%, the unemployment rate is lower than in the North West generally and in England as a whole. The proportion of adults with a degree level qualification is slightly higher than the regional and national average and the proportion without any qualifications is slightly lower.

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Adult learner provision:

Learning for qualifications in employment Learning for social and personal development 182 part-time learners

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SUMMARY REPORT

Grades: 1 is outstanding; 2 is good; 3 is satisfactory; 4 is inadequate

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Grade

Leadership and management 2 Safeguarding Equality and diversity

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Overall effectiveness

4. CE-LL is a good provider of adult learning. Learners enjoy their learning and make good progress. Most learners improve their confidence and want to continue further with their learning. The provision has helped learners to gain the skills they need to play a more active role in their community, for example, by becoming school governors or community volunteers. Older learners enjoy developing new skills and making friends. 5. Learners develop skills which they can use at work or at home. Many learn how to use the internet or to take and print digital photographs. Learners on family learning courses take a more active interest in their children’s school work and feel confident to help them with homework and projects as a result of their learning. 6. Teaching and learning are good. Tutors plan lessons very carefully to make sure that all learners benefit and to meet individual needs. The best lessons are fun,

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Overall effectiveness

interactive and lively. Tutors are very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their subject. A few tutors do not set sufficiently challenging targets for learners and learners are not always clear about how much progress they have made. 7. Support for learners is satisfactory. Learning support assistants help learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Tutors carefully assess each learner to determine what kind of support they may need. They then make arrangements to meet these needs. Learners do not always receive clear and informative advice about the courses they may be able to do after they finish the one they are studying. 8. Leadership and management are good. CE-LL has very good managers who clearly understand the needs of the local community. They work particularly effectively with community organisations and charities to provide classes in local venues to ensure as many people as possible benefit from the range of courses

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Main findings

 Outcomes for learners are good. The proportion of Train to Gain learners who complete their programme within the planned period of study has risen steadily over the last four years and, at 86% in 2009/10, considerably exceeds the national average. Current learners are making good progress. Many go on to study a higher level programme.  Learners enjoy their learning and make good progress. Tutors help learners to record their learning journey. Many learners develop sufficient confidence to act as community volunteers or as school governors. Older learners in particular enjoy developing new skills and making friends.  Learners acquire good social and employability skills. They gain confidence and develop new skills such as using the internet or taking and printing digital photographs. As a result of their learning, many family learning learners now take a more active interest in their children’s school work and feel confident to

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Main findings

help them with homework and projects.  Teaching and learning are good. Tutors plan lessons carefully. They pay good attention to learners’ individual needs. Learners participate well and are encouraged to take responsibility for their learning. Some tutors do not set sufficiently challenging targets for learners and learners are not always clear about how much progress they have made.  The extent to which provision meets the needs and interests of learners is good. CE-LL offers a good range of carefully selected courses to widen participation. It offers crèche facilities to encourage learners to attend. Managers work particularly successfully with specialist partner organisations to provide courses for adults in the most disadvantaged communities.  CE-LL’s partnerships with a wide range of community organisations and specialist locally based charities are outstanding. Managers commission partners with a proven track record of meeting the needs of the most marginalised

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Main findings

communities. CE-LL provides excellent support for partners, many of which rely on volunteers or very small staff numbers to carry out their work.  Support for learners is satisfactory. Learning support assistants are used effectively to support learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Tutors make good use of initial assessment to plan learning and they arrange additional support for those who need it. Information, advice and guidance arrangements about progression opportunities are incomplete.  CE-LL has established a management culture of respect, support and excellence which promotes the service’s mission. Leaders set a clear strategic direction which meets local and national priorities as well as the needs of local communities and families. Operational management, including management of subcontracted provision, is very good.  Arrangements for safeguarding are good. Learners, including vulnerable

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Main findings

learners, feel safe and their children feel safe in crèches provided by CE-LL. Managers check that all staff, including subcontractor staff, have enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks. It maintains a single central register. All staff receive suitable safeguarding training.  Arrangements for the promotion of equality and diversity are satisfactory. The Council and its partners promote their commitment to equality and diversity through appropriate policies and actions. Learners’ understanding of equalities is satisfactory. However, tutors do not promote equality issues sufficiently in learning sessions or during induction and do not plan for promotion in their schemes of work.  CE-LL’s first self-assessment was inclusive and well organised. Managers used a wide range of evidence, including partner self-assessment reports, to support judgements. However, judgements other than those on learner outcomes are

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Main findings

often insufficiently based on objective evidence. Links between partner reports and CE-LL’s self-assessment report are unclear.  CE-LL manages its resources effectively and provides good value for money. Success rates have improved. Around 60% of learners live in the Council’s priority areas. CE-LL monitors the financial performance of subcontracts very rigorously. CE-LL and its partners use matched funding very effectively to maximise opportunities for learners.

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What does CE-LL need to do to improve further?

 Improve the process for recording learners’ progress and achievement by ensuring all tutors use the already existing best practice of setting more personalised goals, monitoring learners’ progress and accurately recording achievement.  Improve the promotion of equality and diversity in learning sessions by integrating equalities topics with more aspects of the taught curriculum.  Provide better opportunities for learners to receive information, advice and guidance so that they become more aware of opportunities for progression.  Ensure judgements about the quality of provision in the self-assessment report are supported by objective evidence.

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What learners like:

 being able to socialise and meet new people  improved confidence and parenting skills  improved literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) skills  increased confidence to help the children with their homework  a better understanding of what children learn in school  flexibility in being able to attend a course locally that suits individual circumstances.

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What learners would like to see improved:

 the range of activities in sessions to meet the needs of all learners in the group  the quality and accessibility of information about other courses and what to do next  the amount of paperwork.

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What stakeholders like:

 parents having increased confidence, self-esteem, and skills in sharing books and literacy skills with their children  well organised courses and professional relationships with CE-LL staff  the support and direction that parents and children gain by attending family learning sessions and the improvements seen in home-school learning  significant gains in confidence and efficiency through staff improving their literacy, numeracy and computer skills (Train to Gain).

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What stakeholders would like to see improved:

 the range and quality of information about further courses  the number of courses on offer  the extent of dads’ involvement in family learning.

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Capacity to make and sustain improvement Grade 2

9. CE-LL has a good capacity to improve. Managers have worked effectively to establish a coherent structure to deliver successfully the service’s inspirational mission. Strategic priorities are appropriate and focused on teaching and learning, continuous improvement and meeting local and national priorities. Quality systems and processes are clear and fully understood. CE-LL has set ambitious targets for learner recruitment and achievement and has also established a strong partnership network to enable it to meet these goals, successfully. Success rates have improved and the number of learners from priority groups, including those with mental health difficulties, has increased. Partnership working is outstanding.

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Capacity to make and sustain improvement Grade 2

10. CE-LL’s focus on quality assurance and improvement are good. Processes for improving the quality of teaching and learning are effective. Strategic and operational managers have good knowledge of the provision’s strengths and weaknesses. Managers use data effectively to direct improvements. The self- assessment process is inclusive and critical. Managers use a wide range of information, including the views of staff, learners and partners, to reach judgements about outcomes for learners and leadership and management. However, judgements in the self-assessment report, other than for those on learner outcomes, are often insufficiently based on objective evidence.

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Grade 2

11. Outcomes for learners are good, as acknowledged in the self-assessment report. The proportion of Train to Gain learners who complete their programme within the planned period of study has risen steadily over the last four years and, at 86% in 2009/10, considerably exceeds the national average. Current learners are making good progress. Many go on to study a higher level programme.

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Grade 2

12. Learners enjoy their learning and make good progress. Tutors help learners to record their learning journey. Most learners begin courses with no previous qualifications. They start at pre-foundation level and many progress to foundation and intermediate levels. Learners develop their self-confidence, in many cases sufficiently so that they become community volunteers or school governors. Older learners in particular enjoy developing new skills and making friends.

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Grade 2

13. Learners develop good social and employability skills. They gain confidence and develop new skills, for example in using the internet or digital photography. Many learners now take a more active interest in their children’s school work and feel confident to help them with homework and projects. Learners on community learning courses proudly display their artwork and produce paintings for friends. Others discover new hobbies and rekindle old interests and skills. 14. Learners feel safe in class and are familiar with the organisation’s health and safety policy and procedures. Learner induction covers appropriate aspects of health and safety. Staff apply safe working practices during learning sessions. Subcontractors carry out appropriate risk assessments of learning venues.

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The quality of provision Grade 2

15. Teaching and learning are good, with some aspects that are outstanding, as recognised in the self-assessment report. Teachers plan lessons carefully and they pay good attention to learners’ individual needs. Learners participate well and are encouraged to take responsibility for their learning. The best lessons are lively and interactive. Teachers use a wide range of resources to support learning. However, some tutors do not set sufficiently challenging targets for learners and learners are not always clear about how much progress they have made.

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The quality of provision Grade 2

16. The extent to which provision meets the needs and interests of learners is good. CE-LL offers provision at a wide range of accessible community venues throughout the borough. It offers a good range of courses that it carefully selects with partner organisations to promote widening participation. Managers work particularly effectively with specialist partners to provide courses for adults in the most disadvantaged communities. Crèche facilities are offered to encourage learners to attend. Learners comment very favourably on how well the service meets their needs.

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The quality of provision Grade 2

17. CE-LL’s partnerships with a wide range of community organisations and specialist, locally based charities are outstanding. All partners receive clear guidance and a provider handbook which helps them to meet CE-LL’s expectations. Managers commission partners with a proven track record of meeting the needs of the most marginalised communities. Excellent support is provided for partners, many of whom rely on volunteers or very small staff numbers to carry out their work. Partners are supportive of each other. They welcome the opportunity to share good practice at regular, well-managed network meetings.

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The quality of provision Grade 2

18. Support for learners is satisfactory. Learning support assistants are used effectively to support learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Tutors use initial assessment correctly to plan learning and they arrange additional support for those who need it. Adaptive technology is provided for learners who require it. Pastoral support is particularly good. Most learners feel well supported throughout their programme. However, information, advice and guidance arrangements about progression opportunities are incomplete.

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Leadership and management Grade 2

19. Leadership and management are good. Operational management, including management of subcontracted provision, is very good. CE-LL has managed organisational change efficiently. Morale is good. A culture of respect, support and excellence has been established which supports the service’s mission. Leaders set a clear strategic direction which meets local and national priorities as well as the needs of local communities and families. The lifelong learning service, positioned within the children and families service directorate, makes a good contribution to the Council’s strategic objectives. Senior officers and members have high ambitions for learners and for the service.

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Leadership and management Grade 2

20. Arrangements for safeguarding are good and comply with government legislative requirements. Learners, including vulnerable learners, feel safe and their children feel safe in crèches provided by CE-LL. Contractual requirements for partners ensure all staff have CRB checks and that they attend safeguarding training. Appropriate checks are made so that all staff, including subcontractor staff, have appropriate enhanced CRB checks. A single central register is maintained. All staff receive suitable training in the protection of vulnerable adults and, where appropriate, in child protection. CE-LL’s “Quick Guide to Safeguarding” is thorough and appropriately used by staff and partner staff. Good links exist with the local safeguarding group and with the Council’s safeguarding children team.

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Leadership and management Grade 2

21. Arrangements for the promotion of equality and diversity are satisfactory. The Council and its partners promote their strong commitment to equality and diversity through appropriate policies, procedures and actions. Learners’ understanding is mostly satisfactory. Learning takes place in an environment of mutual respect. However, tutors do not plan sufficiently for the promotion of equality and diversity in schemes of work and they do not promote equality and diversity sufficiently in learning sessions or during induction. CE-LL is developing a single equalities scheme and is on target for completion this year.

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Leadership and management Grade 2

22. CE-LL takes effective action to widen participation. It directs contracting arrangements and negotiations successfully so that the provision reaches learners in the most deprived areas and in rural areas. Around 40% of learners declare a disability and around 60% are in the Council’s priority categories. Specialist provision meets the needs of people with mental health difficulties and those with a disability. Managers are taking action to work with new partners to encourage more fathers to participate in family learning. CE-LL regularly monitors learner recruitment and achievement. Managers have identified underperformance by females on some business courses but they have not yet devised a strategy to close this gap.

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Leadership and management Grade 2

23. CE-LL uses the views of learners and partners to improve its provision. It also requires subcontractors to monitor and use learners’ views to make improvements. The partnership network enables partners to identify and share good practice, improve provision and assist in targeting the curriculum offer to meet users’ needs.

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Leadership and management Grade 2

24. CE-LL has a strong focus on improvement. Managers have a good understanding of the quality of the provision. They make good use of data to monitor performance. The use of lesson observations to improve teaching and learning is effective. Staff receive good support to help them improve through a range of training opportunities and guidance. CE-LL provides an extremely useful tutor handbook with helpful hints and tips for staff and for partners. 25. CE-LL’s first self-assessment was inclusive and well organised. Managers used a wide range of evidence, including individual partner self-assessment reports, to support judgements. Most of the judgements and grades in the self-assessment report are accurate. However, judgements other than those on learner outcomes are often insufficiently based on objective evidence. Links between partner reports and CE-LL’s self-assessment report are unclear.

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Leadership and management Grade 2

26. Resources are managed effectively and provide good value for money. Success rates have improved. Around 60% of learners live in the Council’s priority areas. CE-LL monitors the financial performance of subcontracts very rigorously. It and its partners use matched funding very effectively to maximise opportunities for learners. The service is committed to managing its resources in a sustainable way.

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Context

27. CE-LL has 100 learners enrolled on literacy and numeracy courses. Most learners follow accredited Train to Gain programmes delivered at the employers’ premises. Courses range from pre-foundation level to intermediate level. The curriculum manager is responsible for a team of two full-time tutors and one part-time tutor. The tutors teach courses across the provider-base and at employer sites. The literacy and numeracy team works closely with the family learning team in planning provision in this curriculum area.

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Key findings

 Outcomes for learners are good. The proportion of Train to Gain learners who complete their programme within the planned period of study has risen steadily over the last four years and, at 86% in 2009/10, considerably exceeds the national average. Current learners are making good progress. Many go on to study a higher level programme. Attendance is good.  Learners develop good skills and confidence to support their work. They are able to share their new skills with other learners. Young people on a work project learn up-to-date maths skills using bar graphs and charts which help to improve their job prospects and prepare for work. A learner with a disability is now able to use a spreadsheet confidently to record her care worker’s attendance times and payments.  Learners say that they feel safe. They have a satisfactory understanding of health and safety. Tutors use CE-LL’s accessible booklet on safeguarding

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Key findings

vulnerable adults to promote and reinforce health and safety during learning sessions. Tutors negotiate appropriate ground rules with learners during the first session. Learners show respect for staff and for other learners.  Teaching and learning are good. Tutors thoroughly prepare lessons. Topic work is challenging and relevant. Tutors encourage learners and give them plenty of time to ask questions. They use a range of activities, including games, to enthuse them and they make effective use of small group-work activities to engage learners with differing abilities. Tutors do not make sufficient use of information and learning technology during sessions.  Initial and diagnostic assessment help tutors to ensure that learners are on an appropriate programme. Tutors make appropriate use of individual learning Other learning for qualifications in employment provision considered as part of the main findings but not separately graded.

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Learning for qualifications in employment

plans to set relevant individual targets for learners. Most learners are clear about their targets and find them helpful in recording their progress and achievement. At the end of each learning session, tutors encourage learners to recap and demonstrate the skills they have learned.  The Train to Gain programme effectively meets the needs of learners. Classes take place in employers’ premises and in a wide variety of community venues. Most take place in areas of relative deprivation. Learners appreciate the opportunities that CE-LL provides to improve their literacy and numeracy in familiar surroundings. Short courses and workshops take place at employer venues, schools and disability information bureaux.  CE-LL has effective partnerships with a range of local employers and voluntary organisations. A successful recent initiative provides literacy, numeracy and work-preparation courses for unemployed young people. Communication with

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Learning for qualifications in employment

partners is effective in meeting local need. CE-LL has provided literacy and numeracy training for staff at a number of local community and voluntary organisations.  Learners receive good support. Tutors set homework for learners who are unable to attend a session. Learners with a disability or with an additional support need benefit from the provision of adapted equipment, or specialist computer software, to help them achieve. Tutors enlarge worksheets and provide tailored learning materials for learners with different ability levels.  Information, advice and guidance arrangements are limited, as partly identified in the self-assessment report. Learners do not receive comprehensive and detailed advice and guidance about opportunities for progression or for careers. Too few staff are qualified or able to offer detailed advice and guidance. Instead, tutors refer learners to other providers for this information and advice.

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Learning for qualifications in employment

 Leadership and management are good. The team is suitably qualified, motivated and enthusiastic. Tutors have successfully improved many aspects of the provision. CE-LL has a well-established Skills for Life strategy and has worked effectively with many partner organisations to help them integrate literacy and numeracy programmes into their provision.  Self-assessment is inclusive and critical. Staff meet regularly and share good practice, particularly with family learning colleagues. Teaching and learning observations are robust. Arrangements for promoting equality and diversity are satisfactory, though tutors do not always reinforce this promotion sufficiently during learning sessions. CE-LL accurately identified most of the strengths and areas for improvement found by inspectors.

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What does CE-LL need to do to improve further?

 Provide more opportunities for learners to receive information, advice and guidance so that they are better aware of the range of opportunities for progression.  Improve the promotion of equality and diversity in learning sessions by ensuring that tutors better integrate equalities issues with literacy and numeracy topics.

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Context

28. In 2009/10, 331 learners attended family learning courses. In the first term of 2010/11, 68 learners attended literacy or numeracy courses and 47 enrolled on wider family learning courses. About 25 learners were on other family learning programmes. CE-LL provides courses at 45 children’s centres, schools and community venues. Twenty-five learners are male and 13% are from a minority ethnic group. One full-time tutor, two part-time tutors and two sessional tutors support a full-time co-ordinator.

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Key findings

 Outcomes for learners are good, as acknowledged in the self-assessment report. Success rates on accredited courses are very high at 97% at foundation level, 88% at intermediate level and 100% for the small number of learners on pre-foundation courses. Most learners on non-accredited courses achieve their learning goals. Attendance at classes is consistently high.  Learners develop a good range of personal, social and parenting skills. Many learners overcome personal barriers to learning. Parents develop a better understanding of what children learn and how teachers teach. They become better able to help children with their homework and enjoy reading and doing craftwork and cookery at home with their children.  Learners enjoy learning and participate enthusiastically in learning sessions. Children enjoy their parents coming into school and learning with them. Learners feel safe and their children also feel safe in the crèche facilities. Many

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Key findings

learners progress from taster workshops on to accredited family learning sessions. Some go on to perform voluntary roles, undertake further training or progress into jobs such as teaching assistants, child minders and care workers.  Teaching and learning are good. Tutors are highly qualified and experienced. Courses are carefully planned and structured. Session plans are detailed and thorough. They clearly show planning to meet individual needs and include sections on equality, diversity and safeguarding. In the better sessions, tutors demonstrate good classroom management and use a wide range of activities to interest and motivate learners.  Learners receive regular feedback and encouragement. Learners receive good help from tutors to evaluate their progress and achievement of personal goals. In the less effective sessions tutors do not always fully record learners’ progress and achievement and do not fully evaluate whether learners have achieved all

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Key findings

their learning outcomes. The use of information and learning technology in sessions is satisfactory. Other learning for social and personal development provision considered as part of the main findings but not separately graded.

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Learning for social and personal development

 The provision successfully meets the needs and interests of learners. CE-LL runs courses in a range of venues in areas of relative deprivation. Programmes contribute to improving and building relationships between parents and children. The range of courses is satisfactory. Learners can follow programmes that cover literacy, numeracy, ICT, financial capability, health, cookery and craftwork.  Partnerships and links with children’s centres, community centres and schools are productive. Headteachers and community centre managers comment favourably on the benefits of family learning to parents and children. Professional relationships between headteachers and CE-LL staff are good. The family learning team is particularly responsive to requests for help and resources from partners, even at very short notice.  Tutors support learners in class effectively. Partner schools have provided learning mentors or teaching assistants to support children and learners.

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Learning for social and personal development

Learners have access to free crèche facilities at all venues. Learners for whom English is an additional language receive particularly good individual support in learning sessions. A specialist tutor has trained tutors and produced a tutor guide to enable them to understand the needs of these learners better and to support them.  Learners receive insufficient information, advice and guidance about what they can do after they have completed their course. Learners are not clear about progression routes. Headteachers do not receive enough feedback about learner’s positive experiences and achievements in order to promote family learning courses to more parents, particularly fathers. CE-LL identified this as an area for improvement in the self-assessment report.  Curriculum leadership and management are good. Tutors follow a course manual with a user guide for each programme. The programme co-ordinator,

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Learning for social and personal development

supported by tutors, carries out effective moderation of course paperwork and learning outcomes. The scheme for observing teaching and learning is robust. CE-LL runs taster workshops to encourage and recruit learners on to accredited courses.  The promotion of equality and diversity is satisfactory. Learners are encouraged to discuss diversity issues during learning sessions. Tutors and learners jointly negotiate a contract for acceptable behaviour at the start of each course. Learners demonstrate courtesy and respect for each other and for staff.

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What does CE-LL need to do to improve further?

 Improve the evaluation and recording of learners’ progress and achievement of learning goals, by sharing examples of good practice between tutors.  Give timely and detailed advice and guidance to learners about progression opportunities and further courses.  Continue to work with partner organisations to develop effective strategies to encourage more fathers to participate in family learning programmes.

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Context

29. CE-LL subcontracts community learning programmes in ICT, confidence- building, parenting, and art to 11 partner organisations. These partners provide courses in areas of relatively high deprivation and deliver them in health centres, churches and children’s centres. During the first term of the 2010/11 academic year, 1,125 learners enrolled on 318 courses for social and personal development. Of these, 19 were in community learning. About 64% of learners were female and 42% declared a disability.

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Key findings

 Outcomes for learners are good. Most learners achieve their learning outcomes and many progress into further learning or volunteer work with local learning projects. CE-LL does not require subcontractors to provide data on learner progression.  Learners are very motivated and develop new skills in a short period of time. They develop basic ICT skills and gain increased self-confidence. Older learners enjoy learning and are excited about their newly acquired abilities. Some learners proudly display their artwork and produce paintings for friends. Others discover new hobbies and rekindle old interests and skills.  Teaching is good and occasionally outstanding. Tutors are passionate and highly skilled. They plan sessions thoroughly and enthuse learners. Art tutors use a wide range of techniques and styles. Teaching is ambitious. Tutors link topics to well-known artists and they discuss styles of painting and artistic movements

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Key findings

that stretch and challenge learners’ understanding.  Learners receive constructive oral feedback and encouragement. Procedures for recognising and recording learners’ progress and achievement are satisfactory. Not all tutors record progress consistently. Some do not set sufficiently clear aims and objectives at the beginning of a session. Some learners are unclear about the purpose of the learning activity.  Provision successfully meets the needs and interests of learners. Courses attract those who lack the confidence to attend college provision. Learners enjoy attending locally based provision. Many report that they feel CE-LL courses meet their specific needs for introductory foundation-level provision at learning venues where they do not feel intimidated or lost.  CE-LL has extremely good partnerships to identify and provide for local learning needs. Subcontracted partners work well with CE-LL staff to support and target

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Key findings

the hardest-to-reach learners. Staff at all levels are friendly and contribute significantly to learners’ positive experiences of learning. Older learners value the support they receive from sympathetic tutors who encourage them to learn at a pace that suits their individual needs.  CE-LL provides good support for learners, especially older learners. Staff help learners to overcome barriers to learning. They promote community involvement and actively contribute to strategies for reducing social isolation and improving health. Some 42% of learners have a disability, such as memory loss or dementia. These learners learn to participate socially in learning sessions, make new friends and develop valuable computing skills.  Leadership and management are good. Communication with subcontractors is regular, prompt and highly valued. CE-LL provides good-quality training for its staff and for subcontractors. Tutors and subcontractor staff receive

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Key findings

comprehensive information packs with clear explanations of CE-LL’s requirements relating to health and safety, quality assurance and equality.  The promotion of equality and diversity is good. Courses are strategically commissioned to attract older non-traditional learners and very hard-to-reach young parents. Learning activities successfully meet individual needs. Tutors establish ground rules, including respect for others, early in learners’ programmes. CE-LL provides childcare for all learners in partnership with children’s centres.

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What does CE-LL need to do to improve further?

 Implement measures to ensure that partner organisations provide CE-LL with regular and accurate data on learner destinations following completion of, or withdrawal from, a learning programme.  Improve the clarity of the language used to record learners’ aims and objectives so that they gain a better understanding of what they have to do to achieve them.

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Information about the inspection

30. Two of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) and three additional inspectors, assisted by the provider’s lifelong learning manager, as nominee, carried out the inspection. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self- assessment report and development plans, comments from the funding bodies, Framework for Excellence indicators, the previous inspection report, reports from the inspectorate’s monitoring visit and data on learners and their achievement over the period since the previous inspection.

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Information about the inspection

31. Inspectors used group and individual interviews, telephone calls and emails to collect the views of learners. They looked at questionnaires learners and employers had completed on behalf of the Council. They also visited learning sessions, assessments and progress reviews. Inspectors collected evidence from programmes in each of the subjects the provider offers. Record of Main Findings (RMF)

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Cheshire East Lifelong Learning

Learning types: 14-16: Young apprenticeships; Diplomas; 16-18 Learner responsive: FE full- and part-time courses, Foundation learning tier, including Entry to Employment; 19+ responsive: FE full- and part-time courses; Employer responsive: Train to Gain, apprenticeships. Social and personal development: all adult safeguarded provision

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Cheshire East Lifelong Learning

A. Outcomes for learners 2 2 2 A1. How well do learners achieve and enjoy their learning? 2 A1.a) How well do learners attain their learning goals? A1.b) How well do learners progress? A2. How well do learners improve their economic and social well-being through learning and development? A3. Do learners feel safe? 3 A4. Are learners able to make informed choices about their own health and well being?* N/A A5. How well do learners make a positive contribution to the community?* N/A B. Quality of provision 2 2 2 B1. How effectively do teaching, training and assessment support learning and development? B2. How effectively does the provision meet the needs and interests of users? 2 B3. How well do partnerships with schools, employers, community groups and others lead to benefits for learners? B4. How effective are the care, guidance and support learners receive in helping them to achieve? C. Leadership and management 2 2 2

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Cheshire East Lifelong Learning

C1. How effectively do leaders and managers raise expectations and promote ambition throughout the organisation? C2. How effectively do governors and supervisory bodies provide leadership, direction and challenge?* C3. How effectively does the provider promote the safeguarding of learners? 2 C4. How effectively does the provider actively promote equality and diversity, tackle discrimination and narrow the achievement gap? C5. How effectively does the provider engage with users to support and promote improvement? C6. How effectively does self-assessment improve the quality of the provision and outcomes for learners? C7. How efficiently and effectively does the provider use its available resources to secure value for money? *where applicable to the type of provision Grades using the 4 point scale 1: Outstanding; 2: Good; 3: Satisfactory; 4: Inadequate Overall Employer responsive Social and personal development

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Cheshire East Lifelong Learning

Approximate number of enrolled learners Part-time learners 248 114 234 Overall effectiveness 2 2 2 Capacity to improve 2 inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It rates council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Cheshire East Lifelong Learning

If you would like a copy of this report in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Cheshire East Lifelong Learning

You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way.

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Cheshire East Lifelong Learning

Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann’s Square Manchester, M2 7LA

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Cheshire East Lifelong Learning

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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