Norfolk County Council Adult Learning

Published date 04 January 2012 Inspection Number 375495 Unique reference number: 53545

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Name of lead inspector: Maxine Mayer HMI

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Last day of inspection: 25 November 2011

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Address:

Norfolk County Council Adult Education Guidance Service Wensum Lodge 169 King Street Norwich Norfolk NR1 1QW Telephone number: 01603 306585

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Information about the provider

1. Norfolk County Council Adult Education and Guidance Service (NAEGS) is part of Norfolk County Council’s Community Services Directorate. The service holds a contract with the Skills Funding Agency through three funding strands; Adult Learner Responsive, Employer Responsive and Adult Safeguarded Learning. These correspond respectively to the three reporting strands of learning for qualifications, learning for qualifications in employment and learning for social and personal development. In addition, the service receives additional funding from the Young People’s Learning Agency for learners aged 16 to18. The income of the service is further increased by approximately 15% through the collection of fees and sales of commercial courses. Since the previous inspection the service has undergone significant change and re-organisation.

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Information about the provider

2. At the time of inspection 261 learners were on programmes for 16 to18 year olds, 946 on programmes for learning for qualifications, 1,891 in learning for social and personal development and a further 627 learners working towards qualifications in employment. A minority of learners are from minority ethnic heritage and the participation of males is lower than females. Courses are offered in 15 subject areas, some of which are offered under more than one of the learning strands. The population of Norfolk is 862,300 with a large majority being white British. The percentage of the population in employment is around that of the East of England as a whole. The county has a greater proportion of the population without any qualifications than the region as a whole.

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Information about the provider

3. The following organisations provide training on behalf of NAEGS:  Blue Cat Initiative (provision for young learners)  John Oliver Hairdressing Academy (provision for young learners)  Babcock Engineering (provision for young learners)  St. Edmunds Society (provision for young learners)  Norwich City Football Club Community Sports Foundation (provision for young learners) 2 of 23

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Provision for young learners:

Further education (16-18) 76 full-time learners 674 part-time learners

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Provision for adult learners:

Learning for social and personal development 20 full-time learners 5,015 part-time learners 8,659 part-time learners

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Employer provision:

Train to Gain Apprenticeships 1,289 learners 358 apprentices 3 of 23

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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. The provision is good. Most learners achieve qualifications and their course and personal learning aims well. The majority of young learners who are unemployed when they start their programmes are highly successful in progressing to further education, or paid or voluntary employment. A high number of learners undertaking learning for work succeed in gaining their qualification within planned timescales. The achievement of apprentices and those on preparation for life and work programmes leading to qualifications is satisfactory. NAEGS pays strong attention to the health, safety and care of all its learners.

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Overall effectiveness

5. The quality of teaching, coaching, learning and assessment is good and in some subject areas and programmes it is outstanding. Tutors are well experienced 4 of 23

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Overall effectiveness

and qualified and keep their professional knowledge up-to-date. They plan their lessons well and learners make good progress. However, not all learning venues have sufficient computer equipment to make lessons even better. NAEGS offers a wide range of courses delivered in community venues close to where learners live. Employers, apprentices and Train to Gain learners’ needs are exceptionally well met through flexible approaches taken by tutors and assessors. NAEGS works exceptionally well with a wide range of partners to ensure that community needs are met and the course offer is highly responsive to individual needs. Support for learners who are unemployed, have learning difficulties and/or disabilities or have previously found learning difficult is outstanding.

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Overall effectiveness

6. Courses and programmes are very well managed. Managers improve achievement, success and the quality of teaching by very careful monitoring of the provision. Managers and tutors act swiftly when improvements are required and seek, listen and respond to users’ views of the service. NAEGS is successfully narrowing the achievement gap between the least and most disadvantaged in Norfolk.

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Main findings

 Outcomes for learners aged 16 to 18 in foundation learning provision are outstanding. Their starting points are very low. A significant majority achieve their learning goals and a high percentage of learners gain additional qualifications and progress to further education, work or apprenticeships.  Success rates on accredited programmes are good overall and in most subject areas. Rates on courses of long duration dipped below national rates in 2009/10. However, NAEGS has improved success rates on these courses in 2010/11 to satisfactory or better levels. Achievement in courses for social and personal development has improved and, since 2009, is consistently high.  Train to Gain learners succeed well and apprentices succeed satisfactorily within the planned timescales of their programmes. They benefit from outstanding arrangements and promotion for health and safety. Progression to higher levels of employment or training is good.

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Main findings

 Teaching, learning and assessment are good. These are outstanding in employer responsive provision and health and social care, arts and crafts, and modern foreign languages lessons. Most tutors plan their lessons thoroughly to deliver them at a brisk pace, support individual learner needs, use additional e- learning and select highly relevant topics.  The provision is meeting the needs and interests of learners and employers very well. NAEGS is highly responsive to the needs of its community and provides an extensive range of learning for qualifications and pleasure including progression opportunities in many subject areas. It co-operates well with other providers to establish courses that complement other provision in the area.  NAEGS works extremely well with an extensive range of partners. It makes an excellent contribution both to local and regional priorities by targeting the 5 of 23

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Main findings

provision at priority groups and employment sectors. NAEGS works very effectively with partners from the voluntary sector and other services within the county council to research needs and share resources and expertise to benefit learners.  Care, guidance and support are outstanding. Staff have a high level of awareness of barriers facing learners and provide prompt, high quality and professional classroom and pastoral support. Dyslexia support is excellent. Pre- course information and ongoing advice and guidance are good. Initial assessment to identify barriers to learning is thorough. Support for tuition fees and child care is good.  The focus on learners' outcomes is excellent. Leaders at all levels are keen that NAEGS aims to meet learners' needs and deliver high quality provision to ensure their success. Staff targets are clear, detailed and relate well to learners' outcomes. Targets are monitored well and communications between staff

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Main findings

within the service are excellent. Team meetings focus well on outcomes and a culture of achievement is well established.  Curriculum planning is outstanding. NAEGS has an exceptionally detailed knowledge of local and national needs, with a strong focus on helping learners gain employment or additional work skills. Provision meets the needs of learners very well. Planning is thorough and plans are challenged rigorously to ensure the best use is made of resources. Plans are detailed and show good awareness of sustainability.  Those responsible for governance and oversight of NAEGS give clear direction about meeting the needs of the local population in general. However, their knowledge of the broad scope of the provision is insufficient and they do not provide sufficient challenge to help the service improve. Plans to move to subcontracted provision lack clarity and supporting evidence; and no rationale

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Main findings

for changing from the current, good, provision is given.  Efforts to widen participation are extensive and successful. NAEGS works very well with partners to reach under-represented groups. For example a free fathers’ day, working well with partners Norwich City Football Club, to encourage more men into Family Learning was very well attended with good feedback. Analysis of performance by different groups is thorough but the promotion of equality and diversity in lessons is not sufficiently rigorous.  Quality improvement activities are now good. Detailed plans and analysis are recorded well. The involvement of learners to improve provision is excellent and employer feedback is used well. Plans are detailed and arrangements to streamline working processes further are well advanced. The improvements are not yet fully embedded across the service.

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What does NAEGS need to do to improve further?

 Set challenging targets and monitor closely the achievement of the components of apprenticeship and preparation for life and work programmes in order to improve their success rates. 6 of 23

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What does NAEGS need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching and learning from good to outstanding by better sharing of good teaching practice across the whole service.  Provide more strategic oversight of, and challenge for, the provision by better involvement of senior leaders within the council and more careful consideration of the reasons for changing the way the provision is delivered.  Better promote learners’ understanding of equality and diversity in all lessons and during workplace reviews.

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What learners like:

 the friendly, approachable, knowledgeable and helpful staff  the availability of courses at convenient times in safe and welcoming centres  the quality of teaching, support, care and guidance  the increase in self-confidence gained from learning new skills and knowledge and the qualifications to improve employment prospects  the ability to enrol on courses on-line  the learning that helps parents keep up with their children  the advice on various aspects of the service including help with finances for the courses  that the service listens to learners to improve their experiences.

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What learners would like to see improved:

 the availability of refreshment facilities at some centres  the signage and lighting at some centres  the speed at which the certificates are issued to the learners  the availability of computers at some centres  the clarity of communication regarding some class closures, time changes and repeat enrolments.

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What employers and partners like:

 the improvements and good gains in knowledge, skills and confidence of the employed learners  the highly responsive approach to deliver courses that meet the needs of the employers  the quality of training and support that develops the flexibility and the speed of response to meet the needs of various groups of learners who would not attend colleges 7 of 23

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What employers and partners like:

 the highly professional approaches of the staff.

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What employers and partners would like to see improved:

 better communications particularly about the progress of their apprentices and changes to appointments  no improvements were suggested by partners. 8 of 23

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Grade 2

7. NEAGS has a good capacity to improve. Since the previous inspection a range of processes have been improved and are now very good. Curriculum planning has been particularly well improved and is now excellent. The service has dealt successfully with a number of declining success rates and turned them round. Many success rates are above national averages. Other improvements include focusing well on providing a more flexible and responsive provision.

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Grade 2

8. Although governors do not provide sufficient challenge, the service is highly effective at challenging and improving itself as seen by the significant improvement since the previous inspection, with improved grades in many aspects of the provision. Self-assessment is much improved and is now a key strength of the provision It is inclusive and makes excellent use of learner and employer feedback. The process for improving the quality of teaching and learning by observation has improved since the last inspection and the quality of teaching is now good. The service is particularly good at responding quickly to issues raised about the provision.

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Grade 2

9. Outcomes for learners aged 16 to 18 in foundation learning provision are outstanding. Their starting points are low and the significant majority achieve their learning goals with a high percentage successfully acquiring additional qualifications in Functional Skills and work-related subjects. They make swift progress in acquiring new skills and most progress successfully to further education, work or apprenticeships.

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Grade 2

10. Success rates on accredited programmes are high overall and in most subject areas. However, rates on learner responsive courses of long duration dipped below national rates in 2009/10. The provider has taken very swift and far ranging actions to address this. This action has led to success rates for those courses in 2010/11 improving to satisfactory or better levels.

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Grade 2

11. Achievement in courses for social and personal development has improved since 2008/09 and is high. NAEGS introduced a more thorough system for setting learners’ targets and measuring achievement in 2010, making this process much more rigorous. Achievement in 2010/11 is particularly high in the most significant courses of health, public service and care, leisure travel and tourism, arts media and publishing and preparation for life and work.

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Grade 2

12. From latest available data for 2010/11 success rates in Train to Gain are high and continuing to improve. In 2010/11 rates were above national rates with 81% succeeding within the planned duration of the programme. Success rates in the new apprenticeship programmes are satisfactory but slightly below 9 of 23

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Grade 2

national rates. The completion of apprenticeship programmes within planned timescales is slightly above national rates.

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Grade 2

13. Overall there are no significant differences in the success or achievement of different groups of learners. However, adult learners in preparation for life and work programmes in learner responsive accredited courses, who now succeed satisfactorily, have not succeeded as well as those in other subject areas with high numbers of learners.

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Grade 2

14. Learners enjoy their learning and improve their social well-being and confidence well. Many learners have the opportunity and do improve their economic well- being. This is particularly good for learners and apprentices who are seeking to progress in employment, are unemployed 16 to18 year-olds and those preparing for higher education.

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Grade 2

15. NAEGS has excellent arrangements to ensure that learners are kept safe. Learners value highly the opportunity to learn at centres that are located close to their home or work. Good attention is given to risk assessment for all venues where learning is undertaken. Health and safety is promoted strongly to learners who are undertaking qualifications for employment and using hazardous equipment and machinery.

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Grade 1

16. Teaching is outstanding in work based learning and in many lessons in modern foreign languages, family learning, health and social care, foundation learning and arts, media and publishing. Although teaching in preparation for life and work is satisfactory, learning is good as most learners are highly motivated and the tutors give good additional support. The majority of tutors are well qualified, experienced and have extensive specialist skills and knowledge. Their ongoing professional development is also good. Most tutors plan their lessons well with clear aims and objectives including detailed plans for assessment of learning. Tutors use a variety of teaching methods to provide an environment in which learners feel challenged. Learners develop good skills, confidence and knowledge that they use well to improve their effectiveness at work, employment prospects, well-being and how they support their children. Tutors

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Grade 1

provide good feedback to learners on their progress. Accommodation and learning resources, including information learning technology (ILT), are satisfactory. However a few centres have child-sized chairs and others have poor lighting and signage. A few centres do not have sufficient computer facilities and some tutors do not feel confident enough to use the available resources fully. Although the quality of learning materials used in classes is generally good. Some handouts in preparation for life and work classes are poor.

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Grade 1

17. The range of provision is excellent at meeting the needs and interests of learners, partners and employers. The service makes extensive use of a broad 10 of 23

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Grade 1

range of funding streams to provide progression courses and learning. The provision is well balanced with a judicious mix of provision of accredited and non-accredited courses that meets the priorities of the service, as well as community and employer needs. NAEGS are good at offering courses in areas where there are gaps locally, and are employment growth areas, for example courses in early years care, adult care and accounting technician courses at all levels in the evenings. The service also offers an extensive range of access to higher education courses and those leading to employment. The range of leisure courses is extensive. The foundation learning programme offers an outstanding range of provision for 16 to18 year-old learners. The service has developed a highly valuable web-based learning programme in accredited information and communication technology programmes that offers learners the flexibility to complete the qualification in their own time. Electronic portfolios

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Grade 1

are used well. The delivery model is extremely flexible and offered at different times of the day, evenings and at weekends. The service carries out thorough research to plan the provision. It has introduced an excellent cross-service initiative to run two-week ‘first step’ courses that enable learners to sample what is involved in learning, the support available and prepares them for learning after thorough initial and diagnostic assessment. This has begun to improve further the retention rates for learners.

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Grade 1

18. NAEGS has well established and mature partnerships with a range of agencies, employers and the voluntary sector. The service works exceptionally well to improve the quality of life for learners through learning and support. The service is making positive contributions to build the capacity of the voluntary community sector through joint working. It has developed the provision for 16 to 18 year-old learners very successfully by using existing facilities at St. Edmunds Housing Association, John Oliver Academy of Hairdressing and Norwich City football club community sports foundation. The range of enrichment activities for the learners is very good. Other excellent partnerships are with organisations such as the Norfolk and Norwich Association for the Blind, Under 1 Roof centre, and employers such as the county and district councils, various schools and employers in the care and health sectors. The

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Grade 1

service works closely with the police and the probation service to prevent crime. Links with Jobcentre Plus to support unemployed learners are strong. The service establishes courses in schools and partners’ premises in conjunction with other providers that complements their own provision.

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Grade 1

19. The care, guidance and support for learners are outstanding. Necessary pre- course information, advice and guidance are available through a county council based customer service centre and the service’s website. Help with queries on enrolments and fee structure is improving. Tutors provide very effective subject-specific and individual support. Highly qualified guidance workers provide excellent initial and ongoing advice and guidance to learners. Initial assessment is well structured. The findings of this process are used well by tutors on most courses to plan learning activities. Support for 16 to 18 year-old learners on pastoral matters is outstanding as are the on-site crèche facilities in some centres and financial help for learners who are unable to afford the rising 11 of 23

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Grade 1

costs of tuition fees. Provision for dyslexic learners, to identify their needs and support them in their studies, is excellent.

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Leadership and management Grade 2

20. Leadership and management activities are focused exceptionally well on learner outcomes. Leaders at all levels are keen that the service aims to meet learner needs and deliver high quality provision to ensure their success. Leaders of the service set very challenging targets for staff that relate to learner outcomes. These targets are monitored very well and staff are given excellent encouragement and support to meet them. The reorganisation of the service was well managed and enabled it to focus more closely on the quality of the provision. Communications within the service are excellent and staff meetings are very well attended and recorded. Priority is given to discussions about learner outcomes and how learners can be helped to achieve. Staff training and development are good and staff are well qualified. Team meetings focus on outcomes for learners and a culture of achievement is well established.

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Leadership and management Grade 2

21. Curriculum planning has improved substantially and is now outstanding. NAEGS has an exceptionally detailed knowledge of local and national needs, with a strong focus on helping learners gain employment or additional work skills. The provision is broad, flexible and very responsive. A recent example is NAEGS establishing a course for people with visual impairments, at a town library, within 48 hours of receiving the request. Planning is thorough and plans are challenged rigorously to ensure the best use is made of resources. Plans are detailed and well thought out.

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Leadership and management Grade 2

22. Those responsible for governance and oversight of the service give clear direction about meeting the needs of the local population in general. However, their knowledge of the broad scope of the provision is insufficient and they do not provide sufficient challenge to help the service improve. Plans to change the delivery method of the provision lack clarity and supporting evidence, and give no rationale for changing from the current good provision.

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Leadership and management Grade 2

23. Safeguarding arrangements are good. Sound action planning ensures that safeguarding is a high priority for the service. NAEGS has identified who their most vulnerable learners are and the procedures for risk assessments are good. All staff are criminal record bureau checked and have appropriate training relative to their responsibilities. Links with external agencies to share concerns are satisfactory.

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Leadership and management Grade 2

24. The service is very successful in widening participation. Good changes to the provision ensure that the service caters well for a range of under-represented groups. Specific actions to attract learners from these groups are well planned and managed. A highly successful event at the local premier league football club was very effective in attracting more men into family learning. Monitoring of the performance of different groups is rigorous. Actions to deal with 12 of 23

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Leadership and management Grade 2

imbalances are successful, for example the success rates of learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities have improved. The service is rigorous in ensuring that learners have an experience that is free from discrimination. The single reported incident in the last 18 months was dealt with quickly and effectively. NAEGS promotes learners’ understanding of equality and diversity in its training materials. However, the reinforcement of learners’ understanding of these topics in lessons and reviews is insufficient.

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Leadership and management Grade 2

25. Engagement with users is exceptional. The service has a highly effective learner engagement team and the promotion of their work is extremely good. The analysis of learner and employer feedback is thorough. Learners’ views are gathered in a large number of different ways with good use of technology and alternative options, such as symbols for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The response to views is swift and effective. NAEGS is extremely good at keeping learners, and other users, informed of the progress in dealing with their issues.

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Leadership and management Grade 2

26. Quality improvement processes have been revised and improved. The process is inclusive, involving all staff, learners, employers and other stakeholders. The quality cycle is well thought out and plans to streamline the process further are advanced. NAEGS have advanced plans to move to an integrated system using evidence from a wide range of sources and synthesised into a single, holistic, action plan. The focus on improvements to the learner experience and outcomes is very strong. The self-assessment report is accurate. However, the improvements to self-assessment are not yet fully established in all the curriculum areas.

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Leadership and management Grade 2

27. Resources are managed very well with a strong focus on sustainability. NAEGS is highly effective in reducing its carbon footprint. Staff travelling times and distances are reduced by improved arrangements for locating resources and courses. Good use is made of partners’ premises to maximise the effective use of buildings, reduce the costs to the service and provide a more flexible and responsive service. 13 of 23

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Context

28. The service offers apprenticeships and qualifications for those in employment in health, public services and care, information and communications technology, education and training and business administration and law. The programmes are offered in a range of locations and settings. At the time of inspection 319 apprentices and 308 followed NVQ in the workplace qualifications (formerly Train to Gain) of which 8% were male, 4% of minority ethnic origin and 2% declared a disability. The provision is managed by a strategic manager and supported by subject specific curriculum design managers and both full-time and part-time tutors and assessors.

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Key findings

 Learners succeed well. Train to Gain success rates within the time planned exceed national averages. Apprenticeship success rates are slightly below national averages but 5% above for their completion within the planned time. There are no significant differences in success rates between different groups of learners. Learners enjoy their learning and participate enthusiastically in taught sessions. Attendance is high.  Learners make very good progress both in lessons and in applying what they have learnt in their daily work. Employers value learners increased confidence, watchfulness, clarity in reporting concerns, taking responsibility and acting on their own initiative. Learners maintain sustained employment, are promoted and/or progress to higher level courses.  Learners feel very safe and the service is rigorous in ensuring learning and employment environments are safe. Learners have a very detailed knowledge

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Key findings

of relevant health and welfare-related legislation, that they apply robustly and demonstrate safe working practices. Tutors are meticulous in ensuring learners understand their rights and responsibilities.  Much teaching and learning is outstanding. Learners are enthusiastic participants in sessions and tutors manage learning environments very well. Most tutors use highly effective questioning strategies to ensure the participation of all learners. The level of challenge in many learning and assessment activities is high. In a small minority of sessions tutors fail to ensure that learners participate fully.  Learning resources are good and information learning technologies are well used. However, in a few locations, learning is not as effective as it could be owing to a lack of flipcharts or whiteboards, or insufficient calculators and computers. A minority of learners find the new e-portfolios in children’s

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Key findings

 The service provides programmes that meet the needs and interests of employers and learners very well. Programmes are held at a large number of venues and at times which suit learners’ and employers’ needs. Tutors vary assessment times and locations to meet learners’ domestic responsibilities. The opportunities for progression to higher level qualifications are very good.  Partnership working with employers is good. Employers understand the programme requirements and ensure ample learning opportunities to meet fully the evidence requirements of the various qualifications. However, in a minority of cases, workplace managers are not sufficiently informed of the training arrangements and resources available to ensure their employees make good progress.  Learners receive very good support from tutors, assessors and employers. In the majority of cases, employers discuss the demands of the programme with a

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Key findings

service representative and identify accurately any potential barriers which might inhibit progress. All learners have access to their employers’ welfare and support arrangements.  The apprenticeship programme, although relatively new, is very well planned and all tutors and assessors understand the contribution they make to learners’ programmes. Collaboration between all members of the teaching and assessing staff is very good.  Equality and diversity are promoted very well in lessons through schemes of works and session plans. Tutors plan meticulously to make sure that activities are suitably differentiated. Written resources are clearly presented. However, progress reviews are not used sufficiently well to develop further learners’ understanding of equality and diversity.  The collection and analysis of employer and learner views is good. However, arrangements to gather and respond to employers’ views lack clarity and some

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Key findings

employers are unsure of the most appropriate way to raise concerns.  Quality improvement arrangements are good and apprenticeship and Train to Gain success rates improved in 2010/11. The system for the observation of teaching, learning and assessment is satisfactory.

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What does NAEGS need to do to improve further?

 Maintain the focus on ensuring that each element of the apprenticeship programme is delivered effectively in order to raise success rates further.  Review the allocation of resources so that learners are not disadvantaged by lack of access to essential equipment including ILT facilities.  Ensure employers are informed routinely of all the aspects of course organisation, including feedback mechanisms, so that they can offer maximum support to their employees. 15 of 23

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Learning for qualifications

Other learning for qualifications provision considered as part of the main findings but not separately graded: health and public services and care ; science and maths; information and communications technology; leisure and travel and tourism; history, philosophy and theology; languages, literature and culture; education and training; preparation for life and work and business administration and law.

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Context

29. Currently 128 learners are undertaking courses leading to qualifications, of which 26 are full-time learners. Most of the provision takes place in one centre in Norwich. Approximately 26% of the learners are male with a small percentage from minority ethnic heritage. This is relatively new provision some of which was established two years prior to inspection.

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Key findings

 Success rates are improving well and are now at, or about, the very high national average for this type of provision. Learners attain their learning goals well. New learners on the Diploma in Art and Design Foundation Studies course progress quickly and gain good skills and techniques. All the learners on this programme progress to prestigious universities throughout the country.  Attendance and retention are good. Learners develop good personal and social skills. The standard of learners’ work is high. Learners enjoy their sessions, gain confidence and have a positive attitude towards learning. They are articulate and challenge and support each other well in group activities. Learners enjoy a wide variety of enrichment activities, visiting many parts of the country to see specialist exhibitions and activities.  Safe working practices are strongly promoted in the classrooms and workshops. Rigorous attention is paid to risks and hazards at all stages in the programmes.

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Key findings

Learners are extremely diligent in their working practices. All learners feel safe in the centres and classrooms.  Teaching and learning are good, with examples of outstanding lessons. Tutors are well qualified and many are practising artists and specialists in their field. Tutors use challenging techniques and innovatively use technology. Demonstrations are very well executed and inspire and extend learners’ knowledge. Learners are encouraged to work independently and pursue areas of personal interest.  Initial assessment is good. Constructive feedback is used well to help learners develop. Individual learning plans are completed comprehensively, with photographic evidence of the learner’s progress. Tutorials are used to good effect and instil confidence to help learners explore their subject further. The 16 of 23

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Key findings

curriculum offer is broad and meets the needs of learners well. Many learners progress from the courses for social and personal development onto accredited courses.  Partnership working is strong with very good initiatives. Examples include NAEGS staff teaching specialist subjects in sixth form colleges to widen the scope of provision. Events such as intergenerational activities between teenagers and the older members of society are successful in breaking down stereotyping.  Care, guidance and support are good. Tutorials are very useful and students report prompt and effective support when required. Pre-course information provides learners with clear information to make an informed decision on which course to choose. Detailed information is available about extra material costs needed for the courses and the enrolment process is clear.  Curriculum management is good. Managers meet on a regular basis to discuss

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Key findings

strategy and share good practice. Quality procedures are well developed and systems to improve the quality of teaching and learning are very effective. Managers communicate well with staff. Causes for concern are identified and dealt with swiftly and decisively. Tutors access continuous professional development regularly.  Arrangements to promote equality and diversity are good. Good links with a wide range of partners are productive, resulting in enhanced learning opportunities. Strategies are in place to improve male participation. However, equality and diversity are not embedded in the curriculum and opportunities are missed to explore other cultures and celebrate diversity.  Resources to support learning are good. The centres are equipped to a good standard, providing learners with up-to-date machinery and technology in a fit for purpose learning environment.  The self assessment report is broadly accurate and judgements are in line with

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Key findings

those found during inspection week. The provider considers the views of the learners well and these inform curriculum evaluation processes.

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What does NAEGS need to do to improve further?

 Fully implement the recently introduced good initiatives for improved attendance and programme planning to improve success rates.  Further develop learners’ understanding of equality and diversity by including examples of exploring other cultures in lessons to enhance learning. 17 of 23

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Context

30. Currently, 435 learners are enrolled on 39 courses, in venues in towns and villages across the county. Courses are part-time and most are taught twice weekly in two and a half hour sessions, during the day or evening. Accredited courses are provided in literacy, numeracy and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) from entry level to level two. Approximately 40% of learners are male and 15% from minority ethnic backgrounds.

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Key findings

 Outcomes for learners are satisfactory. Success rates on accredited courses declined to below national averages in 2009/10. However, they have improved to satisfactory levels in 2010/11. Learners make good progress towards their overall learning aims. However, in a significant number of courses attendance rates are poor.  Learners’ work is of a high standard. All learners have improved their study skills and gained a greater awareness and understanding of the learning process, as a result of their intensive induction programmes. Learners develop well their confidence and practical skills to increase their independence in everyday living situations.  Learners enjoy attending learning programmes in local venues and they feel safe. They work well together and offer each other good support and encouragement. Many gain the skills and confidence to progress to further courses, training or employment.  Teaching and learning are good. In the most effective lessons, learners have

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Key findings

clear goals and know what they need to do to improve their skills. Experienced tutors plan carefully and well to meet individual needs. They provide constructive feedback to challenge learners to make greater progress. Learners work at a brisk, purposeful pace on relevant, stimulating learning tasks.  In the less effective lessons teaching is less well structured and delivered. Learners have little or no access to ILT to develop essential employability skills. Tutors rely too much on paper-based worksheets and activities, and do not take full advantage of the wide range of the local realistic learning environments.  Curriculum design is now very well managed to take greater account of learners’ needs. Learners now undertake a well designed, intensive, short ten hour induction programme before they enrol on accredited courses.  Neighbourhood development workers create very good links across the county

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Key findings

with local agencies, community groups, housing associations and children’s centres, to identify and recruit new learners. Taster sessions are good and used well to help learners build their confidence. The sessions result in greater participation in adult learning situations and promote the benefits of gaining qualifications very effectively. 18 of 23

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Key findings

 Support and guidance for learners are good. Learners gain valuable study skills and experience taster activities in induction that enable them to make well- informed decisions about their choice of courses. Next Step advisers routinely visit classes to provide advice about progression routes and encourage further learning. Tutors work very well with volunteers and support assistants in lessons to support learners.  Leadership and management are satisfactory. The service has an effective and clear strategy to offer a coherent provision for identified target groups. It has responded well to implement new measures and redesign the curriculum offer. However it is too early to judge the effectiveness and impact of these measures.  NAEGS promotes a culture of inclusivity and mutual respect. It is successfully narrowing the achievement gap by its effective engagement of disadvantaged and vulnerable groups of learners into new learning, often for the first time.

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Key findings

However, tutors do not plan sufficiently to integrate equality and diversity topics into the curriculum and the promotion of learners’ awareness of wider cultural and social issues is insufficient.  Learner feedback is incorporated well into course reviews. The process for the observation of teaching and learning is satisfactory. However action planning for improvements in learning sessions is not fully effective and tutors do not always take advantage of opportunities to share good practice. Not all areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection have been addressed.

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What does NAEGS need to do to improve further?

 Ensure teaching focuses more closely on individual skills development rather than completion of activities so that attendance improves.  Enhance the learning environment by ensuring that tutors develop a more interesting and diverse range of relevant and up-to-date resources which broaden learners’ horizons.  Ensure that tutors incorporate more opportunities for learners to use information learning technologies in lessons so that they develop essential skills for use in the workplace and life. 19 of 23

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Learning for social and personal development

Other social and personal development learning provision considered as part of the main findings but not separately graded: health, public services and care; science and mathematics; agriculture, horticulture and animal care; construction and planning; information and communications technology; retail and commercial enterprise; leisure travel and tourism; arts, media and publishing; history, philosophy and theology; education and training; preparation for life and work; business administration and law; family learning and community development.

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Context

31. Currently, 827 learners follow courses in creative writing, Braille and lip reading for people with acquired hearing loss as well as a range of languages at different levels: British Sign Language (BSL), Chinese, Danish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Turkish. Apart from BSL level 3, these courses do not lead to qualifications. Most classes are in Norwich but many are run at community venues across the county. Some 67% of learners are women and approximately 8% are from a minority ethnic heritage. The provision has a full-time curriculum manager with three subject managers and 59 part-time tutors.

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Key findings

 Achievement is good. The majority of learners achieve their personal learning aims and ambitions. Attendance is good and very supportive arrangements are in place for those learners who have difficulty attending their classes. Learners make consistently good progress across all subjects in this area.  Learners develop excellent levels of confidence and independence and really enjoy their learning. In BSL and modern foreign language lessons learners communicate with accuracy, fluency and enthusiasm.  Learners with acquired hearing loss develop new strategies well to help them to lead active lives, and a few have started an additional club for others outside the group. Learners of BSL and Braille gain practical skills which benefit the community. Learners in creative writing are realising their ambition to write fiction.  Teaching and learning are good. Language lessons, including BSL, are carried

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Key findings

out almost entirely in the language being learned. Grammar is taught skilfully and lessons are brought to life by tutors' use of interesting materials, anecdotes and props and with a strong focus on group work. In a minority of lessons tutors do not reinforce pronunciation sufficiently.  Good quality pre-course information and initial assessment ensure that learners are allocated to appropriate classes. Tutors make good use of, and record well, ongoing assessment to check progress and achievement. This is very effective 20 of 23

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Key findings

in identifying learners’ next steps and in planning to meet their needs. However, learners do not currently understand the usefulness of the records.  ILT is used satisfactorily in many lessons to bring extra voices and up-to-date authentic materials into the classroom and to facilitate and enliven teaching and learning. However, several classrooms have no ILT facilities, and this limits learners’ experience. The virtual learning environment supports communication and sharing of materials by staff, but is not yet sufficiently exploited for learners.  Accommodation for a minority of classes is inadequate. In a few cases rooms are too cramped to allow flexible approaches to learning such as group work. In others, poor acoustics or lighting affect the learning of languages and lip reading.  Learners benefit from the good variety of courses on offer at different locations, with opportunities for progression from beginner to a high level where there is

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Key findings

demand. New creative writing courses are being developed to attract harder-to- reach learners.  Teaching and learning benefit from strong partnership working and the use of innovative project working. This is enabling the service’s and partners' staff teams to work together to develop and share new materials and approaches such as the use of songs in Spanish.  Learners are supported well. Tutors are dedicated and passionate about their subject. They know their learners well and create a learning environment which is safe, welcoming and inclusive. They cater well for different abilities, interests and levels through individual help, careful homework marking, thoughtful grouping and the provision of extra materials to extend learning.  The curriculum is very well led and managed. Quality assurance processes lead to improved teaching and extra professional development where needed. All staff contribute to the self assessment report that identifies strengths and areas

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Key findings

for development accurately. Good in-service tutor training helps to foster common approaches particularly in the use of games and the way grammar is taught.  Communications are good, and learners’ views are asked for and acted on. Equality and diversity are well promoted. Lessons have a strong cultural focus and learners of all ages and abilities know and support one another. The broad curriculum offer promotes strong community links.

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What does NAEGS need to do to improve further?

 Raise appreciation of the importance of the process to recognise and record progress and achievement through better discussions with learners.  Widen learners’ access to resources by extending the availability and use of ILT, including video and developing the virtual learning environment to support independent learning. 21 of 23

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What does NAEGS need to do to improve further?

 Take the specific needs of individual subjects and group sizes into account when allocating rooms, for example, the acoustics, lighting, information technology facilities and space. 22 of 23

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Information about the inspection

32. Three of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) and four additional inspectors, assisted by the provider's assistant head of service as nominee, carried out the inspection. Inspectors also took account of the provider’s most recent self- assessment report and development plans, comments from the funding bodies, the previous inspection report and data on learners and their achievement over the period since the previous inspection.

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Information about the inspection

33. Inspectors used group and individual interviews, telephone calls and emails to gather the views of learners. They looked at questionnaires learners and employers had completed on behalf of the service. They also visited learning sessions, assessments or progress reviews. Inspectors collected evidence from programmes in young learner provision, learning for qualifications in employment, learning for qualifications and learning for social and personal development contract funding streams. 23 of 23

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Norfolk County Council Adult education and Guidance Service

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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Norfolk County Council Adult education and Guidance Service

Outcomes for learners 2 1 2 2 2 How well do learners achieve and enjoy their learning? 2 How well do learners attain their learning goals? How well do learners progress? How well do learners improve their economic and social well- being through learning and development? Do learners feel safe? 1 Are learners able to make informed choices about their own health and well being?* How well do learners make a positive contribution to the community?* Quality of provision 1 1 2 1 1 How effectively do teaching, training and assessment support learning and development? How effectively does the provision meet the needs and interests of users? How well do partnerships with schools, employers, community groups and others lead to benefits for learners? How effective are the care, guidance and support learners receive in helping them to achieve? Leadership and management 2 1 2 2 2 How effectively do leaders and managers raise expectations and

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Norfolk County Council Adult education and Guidance Service

promote ambition throughout the organisation? How effectively do governors and supervisory bodies provide leadership, direction and challenge?* How effectively does the provider promote the safeguarding of learners? How effectively does the provider actively promote equality and diversity, tackle discrimination and narrow the achievement gap? How effectively does the provider engage with users to support and promote improvement? How effectively does self-assessment improve the quality of the provision and outcomes for learners? 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 16-18 Learner responsive 19+ Learner responsive Employer responsive Social and personal development

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Norfolk County Council Adult education and Guidance Service

Approximate number of enrolled learners Full-time learners Part-time learners 3,053 1,891

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Norfolk County Council Adult education and Guidance Service

Overall effectiveness 2 1 2 2 2 Capacity to improve 2 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 assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231 or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . 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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Norfolk County Council Adult education and Guidance Service

To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’. Ofsted

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Norfolk County Council Adult education and Guidance Service

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

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