Haringey London Borough Council

Further Education and Skills inspection report Date published: 17 December 2014 Inspection Number: 430294 URN: 53124 Haringey London Borough Council

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Summary of key findings for learners

 too much teaching, learning and assessment continue to require improvement and managers have not been sufficiently successful in improving all learning to at least good  too many learners aged 16 to 18, on apprenticeships and on accredited programmes, make slow progress given their starting points. The proportion of these learners completing their programmes successfully remains low  tutors are not setting rigorous individual targets for learners on accredited programmes  tutors do not always develop learners’ skills in English and mathematics sufficiently well or make clear to learners the importance of English and mathematics in everyday life and employment  tutors do not always plan to develop learners’ employment skills well and too few learners progress into employment as a result of their studies  safeguarding of all learners requires improvement as managers have not made sufficient progress in implementing safer recruitment practices and have not implemented robust

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Summary of key findings for learners

strategies to identify and protect vulnerable adults from the risk of radicalisation.

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Summary of key findings for learners

 the promotion and development of learners’ personal and social skills are good  the good teaching, learning and assessment in English for speakers of other languages (ESOL)  many more accredited programmes are now available that benefit learners’ future lives and those of their communities  good careers information, advice and guidance help learners to identify their career aspirations and make suitable decisions about their future employment aims  the highly effective promotion of provision through partners and subcontractors to learners in the most deprived areas of the borough. Inspection dates 10−14 November 2014

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This inspection: Requires improvement-3

Previous inspection: Requires improvement-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?

 Ensure the continued improvement to teaching, learning and assessment through improving the setting of individual targets that link appropriately to the development of learners’ English and mathematics skills and their future employment aims. Help all tutors to extend and develop learning by building on the existing good use of technology by tutors in business and information and communication technology (ICT).  Ensure that tutors develop learners’ skills in English and mathematics through planning challenging learning that highlight how important good skills in English and mathematics are to everyday life and work.  Ensure that tutors in all subjects link their planning of learning to learners’ employment goals and aspirations more effectively.  Managers need to act quickly to remedy identified weaknesses in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and ensure that staff development activities are securing the required

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

improvements.  Take immediate steps to ensure that managers undertake safer recruitment checks. Train managers and staff to enable them to take appropriate action to identify and protect vulnerable learners who are at risk of radicalisation.

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Inspection judgements

Outcomes for learners Requires improvement  Haringey Adult Learning Service (HALS) provides education and training from entry level to level 2, directly and through subcontractors, to learners in the London Borough of Haringey. The significant majority of provision is learning for adult learners, with the largest subject areas being ESOL, foundation English and mathematics, and ICT. Just over half its learners are on non-accredited programmes and the remainder are working towards an accredited qualification.  Over the last two years, HALS’ own data indicate that the proportion of learners who complete their programmes and achieve their qualifications has increased. Most learners on non- accredited programmes achieve their learning goals. However, too few learners on accredited programmes complete their programme successfully.  On all courses, learners develop their personal confidence and social skills well, and most enjoy

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Inspection judgements

working with other learners. Such gains in confidence allow many of them to make positive changes in their lives, for example, being able to read aloud to their children and help with homework tasks. Learners with restricted mobility speak of HALS as a ‘life line’, giving them a structure to their week and the motivation to get out of the home and continue to be a part of their community.  Learners on ESOL programmes develop their conversational skills successfully and improve their pronunciation. In business studies and in ICT, learners develop their understanding of appropriate technical language and improve their knowledge and skills in using a broad range of software packages.  Tutors do not always develop learners’ mathematical skills sufficiently. While teachers in a number of subjects are becoming more successful in developing learners’ use of mathematical language, they pay less attention to the development of mathematical skills and many learners

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Inspection judgements

complete their learning without improving this essential life skill.  HALS recruits a small number of learners onto apprenticeship programmes in business and customer care. Apprentices do not do well in their studies and too few achieve their qualification or complete their programmes successfully within an appropriate time span.  HALS’ very small proportion of learners on 16 to 18 study programmes, previously not in education or training, do not make good progress in their studies and their pass rates are low. However, the majority do progress successfully to further education and training.  Managers now have a reliable system for recording the destination of learners following the completion of their courses. While progression to other courses within HALS is good, only a small number of learners become active members of their communities through, for example, volunteering, and too few learners progress to higher levels of training and education.

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Inspection judgements

 On most programmes, the development of learners’ skills to enable them to find employment is insufficient. Although records show an improvement in the number of learners finding full and part-time work or self-employment, the numbers of learners who successfully achieve employment through their studies remain low and require improvement.  Successful management action since the previous inspection has resolved the differences in learners’ performance where male learners achieved less well than female learners and where the achievement of Black Caribbean learners was low. Learners with learning difficulties and disabilities now achieve well and do better in their learning than their peers.  Learners’ attendance has improved significantly over the past two years, although instances of poor punctuality disrupt learning for a small number of learners.

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Inspection judgements

The quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement  As a part of this inspection, inspectors graded HALS’ provision in ESOL, ICT, foundation English and mathematics, and sampled provision in family learning, art, and customer care. No significant differences in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment exist between HALS, and its subcontracted provision.  Classroom teaching and learning are improving, as demonstrated in ESOL, the largest area of the provision, where most learners now make good progress. In other areas, not all learning activities enable learners to extend and develop their skills and knowledge fully. Too many tutors do not set sufficiently high expectations for learners on accredited courses to enable learners to make rapid progress towards the required qualifications and work-related destinations.  In the most successful learning, tutors use their good knowledge of learners very effectively to

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Inspection judgements

plan focused learning activities and to provide learners with timely individual feedback on their progress, for example, by correcting pronunciation thoroughly in ESOL learning. In family learning, learners are highly motivated to improve because of the quick and accurate feedback and well earned praise they receive in response to correct answers.  Less effective learning is characterised by poor planning where tutors do not always ensure that learners develop their knowledge and understanding sufficiently, often because the work they set is too easy. Many tutors place insufficient focus on preparing learners for employment and developing learners’ mathematical skills.  Tutors in ICT and in business make effective use of technology, and most learners develop good skills. However, this is not the case in much of the provision and for much of the learning. Too many learners do not develop these important life skills.

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Inspection judgements

 While tutors provide good, prompt verbal feedback in lessons that helps learners to identify their mistakes and learn from them, the quality of tutors’ written feedback, although effective in identifying errors, is not always specific enough to help learners to improve and, in a few instances, is too superficial.  Tutors are not sufficiently skilled in setting individual targets for learners that enable them to progress well. Targets do not relate to learners’ employment aims and aspirations closely enough and do not enable learners to track their own progress sufficiently well.  Training for apprentices requires improvement and this is reflected in the low outcomes overall. While a number make good progress with their qualification and develop good work related skills, too many make slow progress in completing the English and mathematics element of their qualification and or do not continue in their learning.

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Inspection judgements

 Too few tutors at HALS are skilful in planning learning that develops and extends learners’ mathematical knowledge or brings learners’ attention to the role and need for mathematics within the workplace, everyday life, and society.  HALS uses its good initial advice and guidance service well to identify learners’ aspirations and to inform their course choices. Staff and tutors work together effectively to raise learners’ awareness of their career options. However, tutors do not always make enough use of information gathered during guidance sessions to plan learning that helps learners to prepare effectively for employment in their chosen field.  Learners’ understanding of equality and diversity is good. Equality and diversity are highly celebrated in HALS, and tutors, learners and staff work well together in a culture of mutual respect. Tutors’ planning of learning activities to develop learners’ understanding of a broad

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Inspection judgements

range of equality and diversity aspects further, such as the values and ethics of different cultures, is very good. For example, tutors pay close attention to raising learners’ awareness and perceptions of domestic violence. However, the focus on other aspects of diversity that are equally essential, such as understanding gender equality, are less well promoted.

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Community learning

 Teaching, learning and assessment require improvement, as reflected in the outcomes for learners, which while much improved in the past year, also require improvement. Attendance has improved; however, too few learners attend for all of their programmed learning, or make sufficient progress relative to their starting point.  Tutors do not promote e-safety and good practice in health and safety well. Learners feel safe, but too few understand how to keep themselves and others safe whilst using the internet for learning, social media and other uses.  The most effective learning is well paced, well managed and enables many learners to develop good skills. For example, learners are able to use their knowledge of spreadsheets confidently to enter data correctly and produce accurate accounts. A large number of learners develop improved social and personal skills, and are able to demonstrate their ability to research

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Community learning

independently and present information succinctly and well. Many tutors set homework routinely, often using it effectively in class to check on learners’ progress and understanding.  Tutors place insufficient emphasis on the development of the learners’ mathematical skills to prepare them better for further learning or employment. Tutors do not set learners individual targets to improve their mathematics when planning and reviewing learning, or reinforce sufficiently the development and importance of these skills in everyday life and work.  Too few tutors are skilled in setting precise targets to enable learners to improve. While a number of tutors set and monitor targets well, this is not sufficiently established practice for all tutors. Too few learners are clear about how well they are progressing, what skills they can do well and what they need to do next to further improve.  Many tutors make good use of HALS’ recently introduced virtual learning environment (VLE) to

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Community learning

set tasks that enable learners to practise and improve their skills. A number of learners speak positively about how they used the VLE when applying for jobs, for example, by preparing effectively for a skill test at an interview where applicants were required to prepare a power point presentation.  Tutors provide effective individual help for learners and use specially adapted equipment and a wide range of modified software well to support the individual needs of those learners who require additional help with their studies. Consequently, these learners succeed equally as well as their peers.  Initial advice and guidance are effective and ensure learners are on the correct course. Induction is thorough and prepares learners well for the demands of their programme. However, too few tutors make sufficient use of the information they have about learners’ previous experience, skills and knowledge to plan learning that is suitably demanding for more able

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Community learning

learners.  Learners’ understanding of equality and their respect for the diversity of their fellow learners are good. Learners from very different and varied backgrounds work respectfully together. Tutors plan learning well to take account of a wide range of topics that improve learners’ knowledge and understanding.

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Community learning

 The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good. This reflects the significantly improved success rates on accredited courses and the good development of learners’ language and social skills. Learners benefit from well-planned teaching that enables them to make good progress in their learning. The majority of learners are motivated to succeed, enjoy their learning and attend well.  Much learning is good; tutors plan learning very effectively by setting stimulating and often thought provoking activities to develop learners’ reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. Tutors use their imagination and creativity well; for example, using and listening to popular contemporary music helps learners identify everyday comparative language.  Learners develop good personal and social skills. Many take a more active part in their community and are better able to support their children through, for example, helping at school

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Community learning

during break time and with reading to small groups of children. However, while tutors plan activities to enable learners to integrate better into everyday life, for example, through practising how to make a doctor’s appointment, not all include topics that would enable learners to apply for employment successfully.  Tutors help learners to understand what they do well and what they can improve. For example, tutors help learners to pronounce new words and vocabulary accurately. Tutors effectively model the correct answers when marking homework with learners but do not always provide sufficient guidance to enable the learners to make the necessary corrections themselves. For example, they give the correct answer but do not explain why it is correct.  Good assessment of learners’ speaking, listening, writing and reading skills when they start their course ensures that learners are placed on the most appropriate course. Although tutors use

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Community learning

this information well when planning learning and group targets that relate to the examination criteria, many are not sufficiently skillful in using this information to set individual targets for learners and, consequently, do not always make effective use of personal targets to monitor individual learners’ progress.  Many tutors make good use of technology and the internet to extend learning, make learning fun and to develop learners’ confidence in using technology for themselves. Currently, learners are researching the life of King Henry the Eighth and his six wives in preparation for a forthcoming museum visit.  Good careers advice and guidance benefits learners and well-qualified staff give them help with comprehensive information on, for example, how to write a covering letter to accompany a job application. A small number of learners are successful in finding employment as a result. However, tutors do not always link individual learners’ job search activities with the wider

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Community learning

activities they set in class or in the personal targets they set for learners.  Tutors and staff provide learners with effective support to help them complete their studies and know where to direct learners for help with wider financial and housing-related issues. However, staff do not have the necessary skills to support the small numbers of learners with more specific learning requirements, such as dyslexia.  Tutors continue to promote an inclusive and wholly positive learning atmosphere. Learners have a good understanding of equality, celebrating and valuing each other’s diversity through activities such as sharing food related to cultural festivals and discussing family traditions. Tutors have been highly effective in using a current national news interest theme of obesity to raise learners’ awareness of healthy eating and the importance of preparing nutritious meals on a limited budget.

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Community learning

 Teaching, learning and assessment require improvement, as do outcomes overall. Not enough learners develop the good skills in English and mathematics to the sufficiently high level that they need to be successful in life and employment. Attendance is good and learners are punctual.  Tutors do not always use the information from initial assessment of learners’ prior ability well enough to place learners on the correct level of programme; consequently, many learners are on programmes that are too easy for them and will not ensure that they improve and build upon their existing level of skills and knowledge.  Tutors plan learning well and make effective use of homework tasks and activities to extend learning. A small number relate learning effectively to real life, for example, budgeting to buy Christmas gifts and learning how to draw a scale plan of their children’s room to calculate the amount of carpet they need to buy.

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Community learning

 Many learners develop good mathematical skills related to using money, for example, in the rounding up of the cost of groceries when shopping and being able to decide when would be the most favourable time to exchange money for a trip abroad.  In English, most learners improve their skills of reading aloud and extend their use of vocabulary well. Learners become more confident in their skills and knowledge and accurately correct each other’s pronunciation and spelling during group presentations. However, while tutors teach their own subject effectively, they do not plan well enough to reinforce to learners the importance of developing good skills in English whilst learning mathematics and vice versa.  Tutors are not sufficiently skilful at setting detailed targets that enable learners to improve and make good progress in their learning. Too few tutors set precise individual targets that relate

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Community learning

well enough to the progress learners need to make, or link learners’ targets sufficiently well to the development of work and employment skills.  Although tutors make good use of technology to make learning interesting for their own presentations, a few do not always plan sufficiently well to enable learners to develop their own computer skills or encourage learners to use the VLE to practise and build on their English and mathematics skills.  Tutors give clear and helpful verbal feedback to learners about what they need to do to improve further. However, not all tutors provide written feedback that is helpful, or always provide learners with sufficient information to improve further.  Learners use careers advice and guidance well and staff support them effectively, for example, to develop their curriculum vitae. Nevertheless, few tutors include learners’ career plans when setting subsequent tasks and learning activities that would help more learners to progress

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Community learning

successfully into employment.  Learners are respectful and tolerant of one another and recognise the importance of valuing individual differences. Working relationships between learners and tutors are good and a culture of mutual respect permeates learning. Despite this, not all tutors are adept at challenging learners’ preconceptions should they arise during learning, for example, during a discussion about budgeting when learners asserted that women budget money better than men.

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Community learning

The effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement  Since the previous inspection, HALS’ grade for overall effectiveness has remained the same; although managers have taken suitable steps to tackle a number of areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection, they have not been sufficiently successful in improving the quality of teaching, learning and assessment to good or better. The number of learners on accredited programmes who complete their qualification successfully, while improving, remains low. Managers recognise they need to do more work to achieve sufficient improvement across the service and to remove inconsistencies in the quality of provision.  Managers have a clear strategy for provision that focuses on improving local people’s skills. Staff understand and promote the strategy well and are successful in giving learners from areas of particularly high deprivation the confidence to participate and engage in learning. However,

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Community learning

tutors do not always do enough to build activities associated with job searching into their day- to-day teaching plans, develop learners’ mathematics skills adequately, or have sufficiently high expectations for learners’ success.  Since the previous inspection, managers and staff have made several improvements to strengthen provision. They have recently developed a VLE to give learners opportunities to study independently; data are now more accurate and used effectively by managers to support quality improvement. Managers have improved systems for recording learners’ destinations and now know the proportion of learners who progress to employment or further learning enabling them to ensure that the programmes HALS offers meets the needs of local learners well.  Although managers now have well developed systems for monitoring the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, too many areas for improvement remain, and the quality of teaching,

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Community learning

learning and assessment is not yet good. While managers now identify areas for improvement in tutors’ practice and in learning consistently, they have not acted quickly enough to secure the rapid improvements required.  Managers and staff effectively evaluate all aspects of provision, including that offered by subcontractors, through self-assessment of performance using a suitable range of indicators to report on the quality of provision. While managers identify accurately many strengths, a number of areas for improvement were insufficiently specific and the grades they awarded were over generous. The targets managers set for improvements, in particular those for a small number of subcontractors are insufficiently specific or detailed, making it hard for managers to evaluate accurately the impact actions taken have had on improving the quality of provision.  Managers work well with other local providers, partners and employers, carefully selected to

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Community learning

extend HALS’ ability to provide courses for learners in areas of high deprivation or need. They are successful in attracting learners from these areas to participate and to access additional support services, for example, mentoring for young single parents. While HALS’ curriculum offers learners a suitable range of starting points that enable progression, for example, to the local college of further education, it does not focus sufficiently well on routes into employment. Although managers have adapted provision to make it more attractive to men, they have not been sufficiently successful in improving the numbers of men who participate in learning; most of HALS’ learners are women.  Managers and staff are particularly successful in creating a welcoming and harmonious learning environment where learners and staff treat one another with mutual respect. Managers challenge and deal with instances of inappropriate behaviour effectively. Complaints are few,

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Community learning

and dealt with promptly and properly. Managers make good use of data to monitor the impact of HALS’ equality policies and take action if they identify imbalances in learners’ performance; for example, they have improved outcomes for men. HALS has a suitable equal opportunities policy that identifies the rights and responsibilities of staff and learners. However, managers do not provide sufficient training to tutors to help them have the confidence to challenge learners’ preconceptions of equality when raised during learning.  Arrangements for safeguarding learners require improvement. Managers use a range of suitable measures to promote learners’ safety. For example, they have prepared an informative booklet to help learners identify and report domestic abuse if it occurs. However, managers have not ensured that tutors routinely reinforce learners’ understanding of e-safety in lessons. Managers have not made sufficient progress in implementing strategies to identify or tackle the potential

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Community learning

threat to vulnerable adults of radicalisation. Although managers carry out suitable risk assessments and checks on tutors’ suitability to work with young people and vulnerable adults, they have made slow progress in confirming these checks for a very small number of tutors.

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Haringey London Borough Council

Inspection grades are based on a provider’s performance:

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Haringey London Borough Council

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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Haringey London Borough Council

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

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Haringey London Borough Council

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

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Subject areas graded for the quality of teaching, learning and assessment Grade

English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) 2

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full contract year

Head of Service Mr Robert Bennett Date of previous inspection May 2012 Website address www.haringey.gov.uk/hals

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programme level

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

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Apprenticeship level and age

Intermediate Advanced Higher 16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 1 3 2 - - - Number of traineeships 16-19 19+ Total - - -

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Number of learners aged 14-16

Full-time N/A Part-time N/A Number of community learners 465 Number of employability learners N/A Funding received from Skills Funding Agency (SFA)

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following main subcontractors:

 Train2work Academy  Broadwaters Children’s Centre  Focus Learning Ltd  Park Lane Children’s Centre  North London Partnership Consortium Ltd  Wolves Lane Nursery  Different Strokes  Mind in Haringey

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Contextual information

HALS provides courses for people living in and around the London Borough of Haringey. HALS is part of the Regeneration Business Unit within the Planning and Development Directorate of Haringey Council. Haringey has an estimated population of over 263,000 residents, although the population of the borough is in a state of constant change. Haringey is the fifth most ethnically diverse borough in the country. A quarter of all residents have low levels of literacy and numeracy. High levels of poverty and unemployment affect many residents, particularly in the east of the borough. Almost a quarter of the population is under the age of 20 years. Two thirds of the residents are from Black and minority ethnic groups. This is higher than London average of 55%.

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Information about this inspection

Lead inspector Julie Steele HMI Two of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) and four additional inspectors, assisted by the Deputy Head of Service 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, telephone calls and online questionnaires to gather the views of learners and employers; 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 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

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Grade Judgement

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

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Grade Judgement

To find out more go to www.employerview.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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, 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. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and provider inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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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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