Canto Learning Limited

Learning and Skills inspection report Date published: 08 March 2013 Inspection Number: 408519 URN: 50992

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Summary of key findings for learners

 The proportion of learners who progress into apprenticeships or employment is too low.  The development of learners’ employability skills is insufficient and work experience arrangements are not fully established.  Not enough teaching, learning and assessment is good. Staff are not sufficiently expert in the subjects they are teaching, or in meeting the complex learning and behavioural needs of their learners.  The impact of arrangements to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment is not yet evident.  Managers do not set and use performance targets sufficiently well to improve standards and performance.

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Summary of key findings for learners

 Many learners are successful in achieving their key objectives, which include a wide range of qualifications.  Learners develop their personal and social skills well.  Learning and pastoral support for learners is very good and staff work effectively to address learners’ problems and personal issues.  The organisation has a strong ethos of helping disadvantaged learners, particularly those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.  Self-assessment involves all staff and results in a self-critical and a largely accurate report.

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This inspection: Requires improvement-3

Previous inspection: Satisfactory-3 Outcomes for learners Requires improvement-3 Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement-3 Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement-3

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of leavers who progress into employment by implementing plans for work experience and adjusting the curriculum to give a more vocational focus.  Improve teaching, learning and assessment by providing more staff training and bring internal lesson observation grades in line with those of other providers.  Share good practice in teaching, learning and assessment, both internally and externally.  Impose higher standards of quality and performance by better setting and use of performance targets.

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Inspection judgements

Outcomes for learners Requires improvement

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Inspection judgements

 Learners progress well and many are successful in achieving their key objectives identified at the beginning of their programme. In particular, a high proportion of learners achieve qualifications in a wide range of subjects including functional skills, creative craft, performance skills and personal and social development. Many learners make good progress in objectives relating to their attendance, punctuality and attitudes.  There are no achievement gaps as all learners progress and achieve their objectives at similar rates. The vast majority of learners are white British. The very small number of learners from black and minority ethnic backgrounds makes any comparative analysis of their achievement as a group statistically unsound.  Learners develop their personal and social skills well. In particular, they demonstrate significant improvements in behaviour, confidence and social skills. They enjoy demonstrating their new

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Inspection judgements

found confidence and skills through regular music and drama performances. Learners recognise and value these gains considerably and talk enthusiastically about the fact that the provider has transformed their lives. In some instances learners gain skills that help them live more independently. In functional skills, learners are often successful in achieving qualifications at a suitably challenging level.  The development of learners’ employability skills is insufficient. While, for many learners, getting a job is an unrealistic target in the short term, they would still benefit from having a greater employment focus to their programme. The range of subjects offered and learning activities undertaken during sessions do not have a sufficiently strong vocational focus to prepare learners for work in the future. Until recently too few learners have had a work experience placement.  The proportion of learners who progressed into further education or employment rose

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Inspection judgements

significantly in 2011/12 but is not yet high. While many learners progress into further education, the range of direct progression opportunities into higher level training is narrow due to the specialist range of courses offered at CANTO Limited (CANTO). Many of those who progress to colleges of further education do so onto supported learning programmes. Very few learners progress into apprenticeships or employment. The quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Inspection judgements

 The quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement and this is reflected in the learners’ progression rates into further education and employment. Learners benefit from a very high level of support, including counselling, one-to-one coaching and the allocation of a key worker who coordinates the support for individuals. Small class sizes and the deployment of learning support assistants are an important part of the support arrangements. They are effective in helping CANTO’s learners, most of whom have complex learning difficulties and/or disabilities, to remain on programme and to achieve their objectives.  In the better sessions tutors take good account of learners’ everyday lives, ensuring that learning is interesting, relevant and that recognition is given to their individual circumstances. Learners are enthused by practical subjects such as drama, music technology, sport and

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Inspection judgements

photography and appreciate being treated as adults. Tutors provide good challenge for the majority of learners and they make good progress. They use information and learning technologies effectively in most lessons, including computers, to develop learners’ independent research skills.  In the less successful sessions, the pace of learning is not fast enough for all learners and the more able are not fully occupied or challenged. On occasions, particularly in the longer sessions, learners do not apply themselves to their learning with energy and purpose throughout. Tutors do not clearly explain how the learning fits into their overall programme or their everyday lives. For example, in a mathematics lesson, learners produced some good work on lines of symmetry using mirrors which they found interesting, but they were unaware of how this work fits into their qualification aim, or its use in everyday life. In some instances, handouts are not

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Inspection judgements

sufficiently adult focused.  Work experience arrangements are not yet fully established. A part-time staff member has been appointed recently to find suitable placements for learners, where appropriate, and to support learners through the process of settling into their posts. So far, only a few current learners have had work experience, but plans are in place for around ten learners to do so.  Resources to support learning are satisfactory overall. They are wide ranging, reflecting the diverse range of courses, and include a small animals area, an art workshop and a range of musical instruments. However, some resources such as computers, specialist software and white boards are too old and need to be replaced.  Not enough tutors hold specialist qualifications. They are not sufficiently skilled in the subject they are teaching or in meeting the complex learning and behavioural needs of their learners.

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Inspection judgements

 Tutors provide very clear and constructive feedback to learners. Verbal feedback in particular, is plentiful, detailed and helpful. Written feedback is less consistently good. Tutors do not always mark work swiftly enough; in other instances, marking is not effective in helping learners to understand where they have gone wrong, and what they can do to improve. For example, in mathematical calculations which they mark as correct or incorrect without further comment.  Learners’ regular progress reviews focus well on their development of personal skills and improvements in behaviour. The emphasis on progress towards the completion of qualifications is less strong and review records do not always provide a comprehensive summary of progress across the whole programme.  Learners work on their English, mathematics and information and communication technology skills at an appropriate level. Many undertake functional skills qualifications which are taught in

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Inspection judgements

discrete sessions. Opportunities to develop functional skills in other subjects are often missed. For example, learners are not always encouraged to search independently for the correct spelling of words in dictionaries. Staff do not promote improvement in the writing skills of learners through careful marking of written work and feedback on legibility, appropriate use of upper and lower case letters and punctuation.  Much information, advice and guidance is provided informally, often during reviews. CANTO has good links with a local college and encourages learners to attend appropriate taster sessions. Staff provide useful help with completing application forms for courses. CANTO has good links with the Connexions service. The newly appointed employer engagement lead has a key role in providing information advice and guidance for learners, particularly with regard to work placement and job opportunities.

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Inspection judgements

 Learners have a good understanding of equality and diversity which is introduced at induction and reinforced, where appropriate, during lessons and through involvement in projects such as one planned currently to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Resources include books on different religions and posters which are displayed to promote diversity. Learners treat one another with respect and support their peers well.

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Inspection judgements

The effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Inspection judgements

 CANTO was established to help disadvantaged young people in the Northampton area. It continues to be fully committed to helping disadvantaged learners and particularly those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and this is central to its ethos. The provider’s staff have high expectations of individual learners. However, senior managers do not set and use performance targets sufficiently for the organisation to attain the high standards and levels of performance in the delivery of the Foundation Learning programme to which they wish it to aspire.  Appropriate arrangements are in place to improve the standard of teaching, learning and assessment. Senior managers observe teaching and learning sessions being delivered by each member of teaching staff annually and more often if they have cause for concern or if the member of staff is new. In-house observations are supplemented by observations by quality

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Inspection judgements

staff from other providers who have placed learners on other programmes at CANTO. Managers produce suitable action plans to address areas for improvement identified through observation. They link them to individual staff and organisational training plans and use them to inform staff annual appraisals. Previously the organisation did not retain teaching staff whose performance did not improve from inadequate despite a number of interventions. Recent policy changes require a tutor whose session has been graded as requiring improvement to be observed again within three months, but so far this has had little impact on improving the quality of teaching and learning.  Staff involvement in the self-assessment process is good. The self-assessment report and associated improvement plan are reviewed regularly throughout the year at staff meetings. Staff incorporate users’ views gathered through one-to-one sessions with their key workers. The

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Inspection judgements

report is self-critical and largely accurate; however some of the areas for improvement have persisted due to the financial cost of addressing them.  An unusual breadth of curriculum for this type of programme has evolved from previous offers and in response to requests from learners. Subjects such as drama and music help learners with very low levels of self-confidence to gain in confidence and their ability to communicate. Others such as photography and French help to engage learners through a subject that interests them. However it is not evident how these programmes directly improve learners’ employability skills. It is too early to judge the impact of recent good initiatives to increase work placement opportunities for learners.  The promotion of equality and diversity is good. Posters, including a locally well-designed diversity wheel which includes deprivation as well as the legally defined protected characteristics

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Inspection judgements

and others about different cultures, religions and cuisines, are displayed prominently around the building. Staff include these themes frequently as topics in teaching and learning sessions. Staff have frequent refresher training on equality and diversity. They report incidents and take appropriate action to challenge inappropriate language or behaviour. Managers monitor the achievement of different groups of learners but have not identified any significant gaps. The achievement of qualifications for male learners improved following the addition of photography and music technology to the curriculum offer.  The provider meets its statutory requirements for safeguarding learners. The programme caters for young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, many regarded as vulnerable children or adults. CANTO affords safeguarding a very high priority. Staff have a good awareness of safeguarding issues. Policies and procedures are clear and appropriate. The

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Inspection judgements

safeguarding officer investigates incidents, produces reports and takes any necessary and appropriate action.

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on a provider’s performance:

1: Outstanding 2: Good 3: Requires improvement 4: Inadequate

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Overall

14-16 Learning programmes 16-18 Learning programmes 19+ Learning programmes Apprenticeships Other work- based learning Employability Foundation Learning Community learning

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Overall

The quality of teaching, learning and assessment 3 3 3 3

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Overall

The effectiveness of leadership and management 3 3 3 3

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CANTO Limited

Type of provider Independent learning provider

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full contract year

Principal/CEO Charlotte Dear Date of previous inspection January 2010 Website address www.cantolearning.com

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programme level

Level 1 or below Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 and above

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(excluding apprenticeships)

Full-time 7 13 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Part-time 1 1 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

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Apprenticeship level and age

Intermediate Advanced Higher 16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

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Apprenticeship level and age

Number of learners aged 14-16 N/A Number of community learners N/A Number of employability learners N/A Funding received from Education Funding Agency (EFA)

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Additional socio-economic information

CANTO Limited (CANTO) is a not-for-profit limited company based in Northampton. The company holds a contract to provide Foundation Learning training for learners with moderate to severe learning difficulties or other severe mental or physical disadvantages. Programmes consist of activities designed to improve learners’ life skills, increase their social integration and support their personal development and career progression. CANTO is run by a managing director supported by two other directors and a senior management team of four. Additionally there are nine tutors and two support staff, with further support from volunteers and undergraduate students from the nearby Northampton University.

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Information about this inspection

One of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) and one additional inspector, assisted by the managing director as nominee, carried out the inspection with short notice. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous inspection report. Inspectors also used data on learners’ achievements over the last three years to help them make judgements. Inspectors used group and individual interviews, and online questionnaires to gather the views of learners and employers; these views are reflected throughout the report. They observed learning sessions and looked at assessment and review records. The inspection took into account all of the provision at the provider. Inspectors looked at the quality of teaching, learning and assessment across all of the provision and graded the sector subject area listed in the report above.

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Grade Judgement

Detailed grade characteristics can be viewed in the Handbook for the inspection of further education and skills 2012, Part 2:

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Grade Judgement

http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/handbook-for-inspection-of-further-education-and-skills- september-2012

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Grade Judgement

guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Grade Judgement

Learner View is a new website where learners can tell Ofsted what they think about their college or provider. They can also see what other learners think about them too.

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Grade Judgement

To find out more go to www.learnerview.ofsted.gov.uk or if you have any questions about Learner View please email Ofsted at: 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, 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.

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Grade Judgement

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Grade Judgement

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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