BOSCO Centre

Further Education and Skills inspection report Date published: 31 March 2014 Inspection Number: 423756 URN: 50782 BOSCO Centre

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Summary of key findings for learners

 Learners’ achievement of qualifications varies too much and is not yet consistently good. Their attendance, which had improved since the study programme and traineeship were introduced, has started to drop and is now too low.  Not enough lessons are good and most require improvement. Teachers and trainers use too narrow a range of activities to ensure all learners learn and achieve to their full potential.  Teachers and trainers make few links to the world of work, diversity or external events. Most learners’ placements are on-site and do not replicate the pressures of the external workplace.  Teachers and trainers do not identify accurately enough each learner’s starting point to help them plan lessons, set clear targets and ensure learners study at the right level.  Learners do not receive developmental feedback from teachers and trainers to help them improve their skills. Their spelling and grammatical errors are rarely corrected.

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Summary of key findings for learners

 Leadership and management require improvement because senior managers who check the quality of lessons and assessments do not focus sufficiently on the learners’ experience, how well learners are learning or on all activities they receive, which means they miss aspects that require improvement. Too few teachers and trainers have teaching and assessing qualifications.

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Summary of key findings for learners

 The majority of learners move on to apprenticeships or further education at the end of the programme. Learners gain valuable skills and confidence which help them progress well.  Learners receive good quality individual coaching and tuition from very knowledgeable teachers and trainers, which help the majority to achieve their qualifications.  Staff provide learners with very good care and support which remove barriers they have to learning and enable them to participate.  BOSCO Centre’s (Bosco’s) well-designed and flexible study programme meets learners’ needs well, particularly through the small group sizes and wide range of subjects learners can study.  Senior managers and staff have a clear vision and set high expectations for learners to succeed, which is successfully increasing retention, achievement and progression rates. Inspection dates 25−28 February 2014

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This inspection: Requires improvement-3

Previous inspection: Good-2 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?

 As a matter of urgency, identify why learners’ attendance has dropped since January and take action to rectify this. Monitor the impact of any action taken, thus giving all learners a better chance of being retained and achieving their qualifications.  Raise the quality of teaching, learning and assessment to be consistently good or better by: - setting teachers and trainers who have not achieved teaching and/or assessor qualifications tight deadlines for completion and ensuring they commit to, and meet, these targets - re-focusing the observation and internal quality assurance processes so that they - concentrate on the impact of the teachers’ and trainers’ delivery on learning and providing all learners with the developmental feedback they need to achieve well - extending the observation process to incorporate all interventions that staff have with learners, such as initial assessment, induction, progress reviews and advice and guidance

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

- implementing more structured arrangements for identifying and sharing best practice in teaching, learning and assessment, including from external providers.  Introduce a more appropriate initial assessment test for the qualifications that learners are taking. Use the results of learners’ initial assessments more effectively to identify their functional skills course level, set clear targets to meet their development needs and to plan learning activities in lessons. Ensure that all teachers and trainers correct learners’ spelling and grammatical mistakes.  Ensure teachers and trainers deliver lessons that reflect industry standards and promote equality and diversity through: - providing teachers and trainers with external staff development, including in industry, to enable them to make better links between learning and the world of work - arranging more relevant equality and diversity training for all staff to update them on current

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

initiatives and help them use vocationally-relevant examples in lessons.  Make more external work placements available to learners by continuing the work started by the trustee who is developing links with employers. Promote the value of working for different organisations to learners so they gain a richer experience during their placements.

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Inspection judgements

Outcomes for learners Requires improvement  Outcomes for learners require improvement because success rates are not yet consistently good on all courses. Learners taking longer courses, such as in early years and administration, and those on traineeships achieve better than those on shorter courses. Learners achieve functional skills qualifications in information and communication technology (ICT) particularly well, but in mathematics and English, especially at levels 1 and 2, this requires improvement.  Where learners do not achieve their qualifications, this is generally because they leave their course before completing. Since the introduction of study programmes and traineeships in September 2013, learners’ retention rates have improved significantly. Their attendance increased initially, but has dipped in the last two months and is now too low.  Bosco has no significant gaps in achievement by different groups. Over the last three years,

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Inspection judgements

young men’s success rates improved and young men now achieve similarly to young women. The significant number of learners who declare a disability and/or learning difficulty achieve better than similar groups of learners nationally.  Learners develop skills satisfactorily and most make good progress in lessons. Some learners use their vocational knowledge well, such as in floral design where their good understanding of flowers, foliage and products is evident in the sketches and plans they use to create displays. However, learners rarely apply the skills they acquire in English lessons in their vocational subject work, which often contains spelling and grammatical mistakes.  In too many lessons learners do not develop sufficient up-to-date industry standard skills. ICT learners use a range of software applications confidently but do not develop the more advanced skills often used at work.  Learners participating in work experience gain valuable confidence and skills. Many learners gain

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Inspection judgements

part-time employment in local supermarkets and shops. Early years learners become more aware of whether they are suited to working with children through carrying out activities in Bosco’s nursery under the close supervision of staff.  Learners progress well on to apprenticeships and further education or training, particularly from youth work courses and by the first small group of traineeships. Learners gain confidence in English, mathematics and ICT and develop the skills they need to move to the next level.

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Inspection judgements

The quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement  Teaching, learning and assessment require improvement and vary too much in quality across different subjects, teachers and trainers, with not enough being good. This reflects the trend in learners’ outcomes, particularly their success rates. However, teachers and trainers nurture learners well, developing their confidence and social skills which help the majority progress.  Teachers and trainers set high expectations for learners to achieve and succeed. In the majority of lessons, learners demonstrate high levels of motivation and interest. Teachers and trainers enthuse learners to make good progress, but do not always push the more able learners to achieve higher grades, where possible, or more quickly.  Learners benefit from learning in very small classes, supplemented with individual English and mathematics tutoring sessions. Teachers and trainers use their good subject knowledge to

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Inspection judgements

coach and support learners well, particularly the large majority who have multiple barriers to learning, few or no qualifications and/or previously been excluded from school.  Teachers and trainers do not always plan lessons effectively to meet the wide range of learners’ ability in their groups. Most lack the confidence or experience to use a wide enough range of strategies to ensure all learners learn and achieve to their full potential. Vocational trainers often instruct learners and demonstrate one option rather than encouraging them to explore different solutions.  Teachers and trainers organise work placements well to ensure they match learners’ needs, skills and aspirations. Most learners attend placements on Bosco’s own premises, which do not expose them to the demands of external organisations and industry. Not all teachers and trainers make their lessons sufficiently relevant to the world of work to help learners link theory

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Inspection judgements

with practice.  Learners attend a supportive initial interview where they discuss their previous learning and potential barriers. Staff do not use appropriate initial and diagnostic assessments to check learners’ English, mathematics and ICT skills, because the tests they use are out-dated and do not relate to the functional skills qualifications that learners will be studying. This means that some learners’ development needs are not fully identified and others begin at the wrong level.  Teachers and trainers review learners’ progress towards all aspects of their programme effectively. They make good use of teachers’ and trainers’ comments to gain a comprehensive overview of learners’ progress and achievements. Not all learners have clear enough targets, understand the progress they are making and the work they still need to complete.  Learners receive motivational verbal feedback from teachers and trainers. Teachers’ and

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Inspection judgements

trainers’ written feedback frequently lacks detail and does not help learners understand how they can improve their work. Teachers and trainers do not mark spelling and grammatical errors sufficiently, which results in learners not always using good English skills.  The quality of English and mathematics teaching requires improvement. Vocational trainers do not extend learners’ English and mathematics learning within lessons or encourage them to use their newly-acquired skills within project work. However, during enrichment activities, teachers and trainers promote learners’ application of mathematics skills through healthy eating and budgeting activities.  Senior managers provide suitable careers advice and guidance for learners, including recommending alternative training providers if Bosco cannot meet their vocational needs. Learners receive good pastoral care and learning support. Where appropriate, staff refer

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Inspection judgements

learners to external agencies to help them resolve housing, stress and anxiety management issues.  Staff create a friendly and supportive ethos which results in learners showing a mutual respect for each other in lessons and enrichment activities. Too few teachers and trainers attempt to bring examples of international events or from diverse cultures into their subject lessons. As a result, learners have little understanding of equality and diversity in a context that is relevant to their studies or employment.

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Traineeships

 Teaching, learning and assessment require improvement, as do outcomes for learners. Although current learners make good progress in lessons, achievement rates vary too much and a few learners do not achieve well. Bosco made successful changes to the programme in September 2013, which is showing early signs of increasing learners’ achievement, but this has yet to be sustained.  Learners receive very good individual coaching within the small class groups. Enthusiastic teachers and trainers motivate learners to achieve by using praise and encouragement.  In the more effective learning activities, teachers and trainers engage learners in lively and interesting discussion topics. They set thought-provoking scenarios to facilitate effective learning. In one lesson, youth work learners discussed strategies for different age groups to identify best practice and positive role models, before comparing this with their own practice.

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Traineeships

 Teachers and trainers do not plan sufficient teaching and learning strategies to meet the wide range of learners’ abilities or ensure all participate fully in lessons. In particular, they do not provide activities to extend the more able learners’ skills and knowledge. Teachers and trainers check learners’ understanding of key concepts and their progress in lessons too infrequently and, at times, are too ready to provide them with the answers.  Staff carefully plan work experience at Bosco’s on-site nursery and after-school clubs, enabling learners to develop relevant employability and communication skills in a supportive environment. Learners gain a useful insight into professional practice and can judge if they are suited to working with children and young people. Learners additionally practise simple skills while being supervised.  Learners complete suitable initial assessments for their vocational subject which identify their

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Traineeships

starting points and development needs. Teachers and trainers do not use this information sufficiently to set measureable and realistic targets. Several learners do not receive sufficiently useful written developmental feedback to help them understand what they have done well, and what they need to improve.  All learners study English, mathematics and ICT as part of their course, but teachers and trainers do not further develop these skills within the vocational context. Teachers and trainers are not always confident in their own English and mathematical skills; consequently, they miss the opportunities that arise routinely in lessons. They rarely correct learners’ spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors.  Teachers and trainers provide learners with good academic and pastoral help, which is paramount in aiding their achievement and progression. This has helped learners to continue their studies, through being provided with accommodation, childcare and counselling support.

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Traineeships

 Learners receive suitable careers advice and guidance from a range of staff, although much of this takes place informally or during work experience. They supplement this information with external visits such as to careers fairs.  Teachers and trainers promote an ethos and culture of valuing difference within their groups. This results in learners’ behaviour to each other showing mutual respect. Not all teachers and trainers incorporate topics such as cultural diversity and stereotyping within lessons so learners do not fully appreciate how this fits into youth work and the early years sectors.

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Traineeships

 Teaching, learning and assessment require improvement, which correlates with outcomes for learners. Not enough learners achieved their qualifications in 2012/13, although achievement rates are steadily improving in 2013/14. Many learners lack confidence at the start of their course, but subsequently make good progress.  Learners enjoy improving their mathematics in small groups and are well motivated. They benefit from good quality individual support and develop the confidence to ask questions for clarification and gain extra help.  Teachers and trainers provide good revision and additional coaching sessions, which help learners to prepare for examinations. Learners explore mathematical concepts and practise their skills well. This helps them apply percentages, and to calculate correctly perimeters and areas.  In the more effective lessons, teachers and trainers make good use of individual coaching and

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Traineeships

open questions to extend learners’ mathematical and problem solving skills and build on prior learning. These techniques ensure that learners grasp new aspects of mathematics and consolidate their understanding. Learners receive regular verbal feedback about the accuracy of their work.  Learners create high-quality classroom displays of key concepts such as mean, median, mode. They are beginning to develop independent learning skills by using display information routinely to prompt their learning and check their work for themselves.  Teachers and trainers do not use a wide enough range of learning activities to ensure that all learners achieve their full potential. Teachers and trainers mainly use paper-based worksheets and text books in lessons which do not fully capture learners’ interests or set the subject into a relevant vocational or workplace context. Only a few learners access the available online

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Traineeships

resources for mathematics to practise their skills.  Staff check learners’ skills and levels before they start their course, but the test they use is out of date and does not provide detailed enough information about learners’ abilities in functional mathematics. Not all teachers and trainers use this information to plan their lessons. At times, they deliver lessons at too slow a pace because they set the same activities for all learners rather than giving the more able learners challenging activities or the opportunity to work independently.  Most learners depend too much on their teachers or trainers to track their progress and determine their assessment dates. Learners do not have clear, individual targets to motivate them to take responsibility for their progress towards their learning goals. Teachers and trainers do not give learners sufficient developmental feedback, which means they do not know what

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Traineeships

they need to do to improve.  The learning support tutor provides good additional help for learners who need it. This is particularly beneficial for learners who have difficulty working alongside others. Although all learners are offered additional mathematics support, few teachers and trainers push them to take advantage of this.  Learners treat each other with respect and work well together. Tutors do not raise learners’ awareness of local topical issues or current world issues to increase their appreciation of the relevance of mathematics.

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Traineeships

The effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement  Bosco has an exceptionally clear vision and direction, which staff support and promote with enthusiasm and passion. Senior managers have high expectations of staff and learners who are set challenging targets which they monitor rigorously during meetings and staff appraisal. Over the last year, these actions successfully increased learners’ retention, achievement and progression rates.  The trustees bring a wealth of expertise, which they readily share and use to support senior managers in setting strategies and implementing improvement. Senior managers provide them with annual success rate data, but do not update this regularly with attendance, retention or progression rate trends. This restricts trustees’ ability to challenge the impact of Bosco’s study programmes and traineeships throughout the year.  Senior managers regularly observe teachers’ and trainers’ lessons and assessments and provide

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Traineeships

them with intensive coaching where needed. However, observers miss key weaknesses because they do not focus sufficiently on learning, learners’ progress in lessons and the quality of developmental feedback learners receive from teachers and trainers. They rarely assure the quality of initial assessment, induction, progress reviews or advice and guidance sessions, some of which require improvement.  Not enough staff have teaching and/or assessor qualifications and those working towards these take too long to complete them. Staff have insufficient opportunities to develop their occupational competence or share best practice with organisations outside of Bosco. They do not receive development to keep them abreast of current teaching methods in subjects such as mathematics and English.  Senior managers and staff listen to learners’ and parents’ views and respond quickly where they have concerns. Bosco has increased the range of learning resources, amended its learners’

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Traineeships

punctuality policy and provided learners with employability help. The learners’ council, which ceased at Christmas, has yet to be reinstated to elicit more useful learners’ feedback than the largely positive comments in the written questionnaires.  Senior managers and staff use data well to self-assess outcomes for learners and identify appropriate areas for improvement. Senior managers monitor the success of actions in the quality improvement plan well and this has helped increase retention and progression rates. Their evaluation of teaching, learning and assessment and leadership and management is less effective, largely because they miss areas for improvement during lesson observations.  Bosco meets learners’ needs well through the carefully-designed study programme and traineeships which offer learners the opportunity to learn in very small, nurturing groups and achieve qualifications that aid their progression. Senior managers restructured the study

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Traineeships

programme week to allow greater flexibility in the days learners attend, introduce enrichment activities and enable them to start part-time employment. They recognise the need for more external work placements and one of the trustees is helping develop links with employers.  Staff remove learners’ barriers to participation very effectively, including offering financial help, accommodation and nursery places for their children. Senior managers challenge learners’ stereotypical views and aspirations which has resulted in young men taking courses in floral design and child care. Staff create a very caring and nurturing environment where bullying is not tolerated and learners feel valued and safe. Most teachers and trainers have not had recent, appropriate equality and diversity training which affects their ability to promote the subject within lessons.  The provider meets its statutory requirements for safeguarding learners. Many vulnerable

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Traineeships

learners receive extensive practical and welfare help from senior managers, supplemented by specialist support from external partners. Senior managers maintain adequate records of disclosures and actions they took, but not all are recorded in full detail.

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BOSCO Centre

Inspection grades are based on a provider’s performance:

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BOSCO Centre

1: Outstanding 2: Good 3: Requires improvement 4: Inadequate Overall 14-16 part-time provision 14-16 full-time provision 16-19 study programmes Traineeships 19+ Learning programmes Apprenticeships Employability Community learning

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BOSCO Centre

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

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BOSCO Centre

The effectiveness of leadership and management 3 - - 3 3 - - - -

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Provider details

Type of provider Independent learning provider

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full contract year

Director Sister Cecily Dunn Date of previous inspection February 2011 Website address www.bosco.ac.uk

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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 52 - 13 1 1 - - - Part-time - - - - - - - - Number of traineeships 16-19 19+ Total 2 0 2

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Apprenticeship level and age

Intermediate Advanced Higher 16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ - - - - - -

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Number of learners aged 14-16

Full-time 8 Part-time 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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Contextual information

Bosco provides study programmes and traineeships for learners aged 16 to 19 through vocational qualifications in youth work, early years and playwork, ICT, sport and administration, alongside functional skills. Most learners additionally gain employability and personal development certificates. Learners attend Bosco’s training centre in Bermondsey, South East London. Bermondsey is in the London Borough of Southwark which has high rates of teenage pregnancies and low educational achievement. Most of Bosco’s learners declare a learning difficulty and/or disability. The training centre has an on-site nursery and after-school club. Bosco also delivers apprenticeships in youth work, ICT and administration, under a subcontract arrangement from Central Training Group, and alternative education for pupils aged 14 to 16 through a local authority contract. Both these programmes were not in scope for this inspection.

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Information about this inspection

Lead inspector Janet Rodgers HMI One of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) and four additional inspectors, assisted by the 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 and progression over the last three years to help them make judgements. Inspectors used group and individual interviews, telephone calls and online questionnaires to gather the views of learners and stakeholders; these views are reflected throughout the report. They observed learning sessions, assessments and progress reviews. The inspection took into account all relevant provision at the provider. Inspectors looked at the quality of teaching, learning and assessment across all of the provision and graded the sector subject areas 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 ‘Raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, 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 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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