East London Advanced Technology Training

Further Education and Skills inspection report Date published: 18 February 2015 Inspection Number: 452602 URN: 51646 ELATT

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Summary of key findings for learners

 a very high proportion of learners are helped into further learning or employment through East London Advanced Technology Training’s (ELATT’s) training and its varied and innovative work with employers, community groups and other bodies  excellent personal support from teachers, specialist staff and fellow learners all help to increase learners’ self-esteem, as well as instilling in them a desire to succeed in training and improve their personal circumstances  success rates for information and communication technology (ICT) courses are outstanding  success rates on nearly all other courses and programmes are also very high  the pace of learning is particularly good and learners are successfully encouraged to work at higher levels than their previous qualifications and experience would suggest  lessons are not only extremely effective in improving learners’ knowledge and skills but are also filled with humour and laughter

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Summary of key findings for learners

 outstanding leadership, with very good support from trustees and full commitment from a remarkably dedicated staff, ensures that ELATT’s aims of helping the disadvantaged are fulfilled  ELATT leaders provide innovative training and personal development programmes which are carefully aligned with local employment opportunities, more aspirational opportunities in the City of London and with meeting local community needs, such as a ‘welcome club’ which helps migrant women socialise, improve their English and be introduced to further learning  a relentless drive on improving teaching and learning, and many other aspects of the provision including subcontracted work, is further improving standards. Inspection dates 14–16 January 2015

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This inspection: Outstanding-1

Previous inspection: Good-2 Outcomes for learners Outstanding-1 Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding-1 Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding-1

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that all learners who could obtain formal qualifications in English and mathematics in order to improve their employability prospects have a clear plan that encompasses the whole of their time with ELATT.  Identify why rates of employment vary between groups of learners in order to ensure every learner has an equal chance of successfully moving into employment.

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Inspection judgements

Outcomes for learners Outstanding  ELATT provides a very wide range of courses, primarily to help unemployed and disadvantaged people in East London gain employment. Many specialist courses, such as one which helps professional migrant women continue their original profession rather than taking on low-skilled jobs, are not in scope for this inspection. However, this report reflects how this provision complements the inspected programmes. ICT courses, where most learners are over 25, constitute the vast majority of the Skills Funding Agency provision and these courses were inspected in detail. Apprenticeships, around a tenth of the provision liable to inspection, are considered under outcomes and leadership and management.  A very high proportion of learners progress into employment or appropriate further learning following their time at ELATT. The acquisition of relevant qualifications, very good personal

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Inspection judgements

development and ELATT’s links with many businesses all aid this progress.  Virtually all learners gain their planned qualification at the end of their ICT courses. Alongside the main qualification, a good proportion of learners also complete manufacturers’ awards; for example, all learners on web development courses in 2013−14 achieved one or more specialist vendor certifications.  Success rates for the small provision in areas such as health and social care and employability skills are also outstanding.  The development of English and mathematical skills as part of vocational learning is good. Success rates for those who study functional skills alongside their ICT provision are good.  Learners make very good progress generally from a low starting point. Attendance is good and the great majority of learners attend their classes punctually.  No significant or sustained achievement gaps exist between differing groups of learners in terms

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Inspection judgements

of successful achievement of qualifications. Recent data analysis suggests small differences exist in the rates at which differing ethnic groups move into employment.  Success rates for the very small apprenticeship provision in health and social care, and child development, delivered by a subcontractor, require improvement. The extremely small apprentice and work-based learning provision delivered by ELATT has outstanding success rates. Small traineeship and study programmes, in many cases designed for a particular group of learners linked with an employer, have good outcomes.

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Inspection judgements

The quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding  The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding. Lively, but professional, classroom sessions and support outside the classroom have been key factors in ensuring that a very high proportion of learners gain their intended qualification. But, almost as importantly, learners gain confidence in themselves and their abilities. For example, the provision not only produces competent web-designers but helps previously inarticulate learners to successfully ‘pitch’ a product and their skills to a potential employer.  In almost all lessons teachers motivate their learners and the pace of learning is very good. Learners find the work challenging, but they respond well to this and strive to meet high expectations.  Progress is good and, for some learners, excellent. For example, after just two sessions learners in a level 1 lesson on spreadsheets were using the software with confidence and creating

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Inspection judgements

complex formulae correctly. Despite the challenge and good pace, almost all lessons are fun and enjoyable. One session, introducing basic computer operations, was routinely interspersed with humour and learners achieved their learning objectives outstandingly well.  All teachers are very supportive of their learners and this helps learners develop beyond the formal requirements of the course; as one passionate teacher rightly said, ‘We help them unlock their potential.’ A sensitive style of individual teaching ensures that learners are comfortable about asking for assistance. As a result, teachers are often the first point of contact for a range of concerns, including sensitive personal issues.  Personal support outside lessons is very good. Specialist staff provide good initial advice on such things as the relevance of courses. They then use the excellent links they have with a wide range of external agencies to support learners with, for example, financial and debt problems,

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Inspection judgements

immigration issues or homelessness.  Teachers plan and prepare for lessons very well and this allows them to cater very effectively for learners who come from a wide range of backgrounds with differing levels of experience. Teachers clearly explain precise learning goals for lessons at the start of a session. The best teachers then refer to these during the lesson so that learners are clearly aware of the progress that they are making. Teachers plan most activities in their lessons very well, ensuring they extend learners’ knowledge and make them think. Trips away from ELATT help learners understand employment possibilities and develop their understanding of life in Britain. In a very small number of lessons teachers do not plan effectively and, as a result, the pace of the learning is too slow and learners do not make the progress that they should.  Teachers ensure that lessons support equality with a personalised approach that enables

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Inspection judgements

learners to progress whatever their circumstances. Teachers also overtly raise learners’ understanding of diversity. For example, one teacher asked her learners to research festivals around the world on that day and write a short summary about one of them. This encouraged a discussion about the different ways that religions and countries celebrate key events and also helped learners to improve their English.  Most teachers are also skilful at using ICT lessons to help learners improve their English and mathematics. In one level 1 lesson the teacher gave a learner the title ‘dictionary champion’ and when an unfamiliar word was encountered his job was to find out its meaning and explain it to the class. Many learners progress through a range of courses at ELATT but their improving English and mathematical skills are not always considered in detail regularly enough to determine if they are ready to take a formal qualification.

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Inspection judgements

 Teachers and learners use individual learning plans and the results of initial assessment of skills very effectively in planning further work. Every learner reflects on their learning in a daily diary, recording what they found difficult and what they found easy, which again helps planning. Where diaries have an emphasis on the tasks completed rather than what new aspects were learnt, the planning process is not as effective.  Before learners start their course, appropriately qualified members of ELATT staff provide clear information and guidance about the structure of the course, as well as information about what the course can lead on to and how the skills relate to potential employment. This process ensures that only those with an aptitude for ICT and who genuinely want a career in the industry start the training. Specialist staff and teachers provide helpful information, advice and guidance interviews to learners throughout their course. However, final interviews do not always

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Inspection judgements

provide learners with enough information about what other providers in the area offer as opposed to further training with ELATT. The effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding  ELATT’s leaders, managers and staff are exceptionally clearly focused on their aims of helping unemployed and disadvantaged learners improve their lives and gain employment. This commitment fuels the outstanding teaching and learning as well as the imaginative development of effective programmes and initiatives.  ELATT senior staff work very well with a wide range of other voluntary, charitable and philanthropic groups to provide learners with opportunities to hone their skills before entering employment. For example, another organisation provides a short ‘reboot’ camp, giving ELATT graduates the chance to put their general IT knowledge into more specific forms linked with a group of employers in the financial sector.

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Inspection judgements

 Leaders and managers also have great success in providing learners with development opportunities with large companies in the nearby City of London, neatly tapping into those companies’ attempts to fulfil their ‘corporate social responsibilities’. This results in briefings, employment seminars, work experience, apprenticeships and other routes into employment for ELATT learners. Companies welcome the high quality of ELATT learners, but also feel they are benefiting by extending their own employees’ understanding of the diversity and challenges in nearby areas of deprivation.  Trustees use their extensive experience of the IT industry, education and the local area to help develop ELATT’s provision well. Long-term planning is particularly thorough; for example, the board and leaders are currently reviewing London data to identify how areas of deprivation may shift in location over the next 10 years and therefore whether they should be preparing to offer

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Inspection judgements

ELATT’s support to other parts of London. Trustees also provide a good degree of challenge to leaders based on increasingly sophisticated and relevant information. Over the past 18 months this information has rightly covered a range of outcomes, including employment, rather than just course success rates. This aspect requires some further work to ensure the information is fully accurate and meaningful.  The performance management of staff is very good, although the staff’s enthusiastic commitment to ELATT’s values and ambitions and the close collaborative working between managers and teachers reduce the need for formal management procedures. Sickness rates and turnover of staff are very low. Staff attitudes and their own experiences contribute well to the atmosphere of mutual respect for diversity among the many different cultures at ELATT.  Teaching and learning have improved since the previous inspection. A very effective and

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Inspection judgements

accurate system of observing and then developing teaching, learning and assessment has helped this improvement. Work with other providers, professional bodies and notably peer observations have helped this process. One teacher explained how her questioning techniques had significantly improved as a direct result of watching a colleague’s lesson.  Continuing professional development for staff is particularly good. The development of staff competencies is guided by the observation system and a formal appraisal process, but also by routine discussions with staff who take pride in developing their teaching and technical qualifications. Teachers are well qualified and all have an academic qualification in the subject which they teach. Several also have, or are working towards, higher degrees or doctorates. A significant minority also has industrial or commercial experience.  Self-assessment is detailed, constructively critical and leads to helpful changes. The process

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Inspection judgements

uses data and the views of learners and other parties well. A quarterly self-assessment system is providing an even better system for rapid development. Quality improvement work with the under-performing subcontractor is comprehensive and is leading to swift improvements.  Self-assessment and very good use of a range of online data and discussions with funding and development bodies in the London area lead to particularly good development of appropriate programmes. Careful linking with vendor qualifications ensures that learners have IT skills relevant to business needs. ELATT’s provision has traditionally been based on developing IT skills, but an increasing range of courses is also ensuring that learners have additional skills ranging from better spoken English to event management skills for young people wanting to work in this field.  Safeguarding of all learners is good. Appropriate and prompt actions are taken when incidents

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Inspection judgements

are reported. Staff are well aware of their responsibilities and how to react to potential incidents. Specialist resources inside and outside ELATT are used effectively to help learners. A large number of staff in ELATT help learners with low-level incidents. The sharing of this information requires improvement to ensure that any underlying problems are more rapidly identified. Staff clearly understand their role, particularly in this area, in preventing learners from radicalisation; clear, recently re-issued policies and a training programme keep this aspect of safeguarding to the fore.

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ELATT

Inspection grades are based on a provider’s performance:

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ELATT

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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ELATT

The quality of teaching, learning and assessment 1 - - - - 1 - - -

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ELATT

The effectiveness of leadership and management 1 - - - - 1 - - -

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Provider details

Type of provider Not for profit organisation

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full contract year

CEO Mr Anthony Harmer Date of previous inspection April 2009 Website address http://www.elatt.org.uk/

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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+ 21 31 3 31 - - Number of traineeships 16-19 19+ Total 2 3 5

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Number of learners aged 14-16

Full-time - Part-time - Number of community learners - Number of employability learners - Funding received from Education Funding Agency and Skills Funding Agency

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Contextual information

East London Advanced Technology Training (ELATT) operates from a main site in Hackney and also delivers activities in several community and partner venues in East and Central London. Deprivation levels in its main areas of delivery are amongst the highest in England and the unemployment rate in Hackney is above the overall London rate. Around a quarter of ELATT’s learners are categorised as White British; in Hackney about a third of the population are registered as White British and 40% were born outside the UK. ELATT’s learning centre is approximately two miles from the City of London or a 20 minute trip on public transport to the financial centre of Canary Wharf.

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Information about this inspection

Lead inspector Andy Harris HMI One of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) and an additional inspector, assisted by ELATT’s chief executive 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 and assessments. 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

www.gov.uk/government/publications/handbook-for-the-inspection-of-further-education-and-skills- from-september-2012

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Grade Judgement

guidance ‘Raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted. 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 and 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 https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/user.

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Grade Judgement

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

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