Romney Resource 2000 Ltd

Further Education and Skills inspection report Date published: 20 April 2015 Inspection Number: 434392 URN: 58383 Romney Resources 2000 Limited

p.1

Summary of key findings for learners

 study programmes do not prepare learners sufficiently well for their next steps; the majority of learners do not complete substantive work placements or vocational learning to develop job- related skills  managers do not have sufficiently high expectations for learners’ attendance and punctuality  tutors do not plan individual learning sessions, activities and outcomes effectively enough to meet individual learning needs and do not provide a sufficient variety of activities in sessions to stimulate learners’ interests  tutors do not effectively integrate the development of skills in English and mathematics into employability sessions and work placement activity, or set sufficiently specific and meaningful targets for learners’ development of these skills  quality improvement activities are not raising standards and improving the quality of provision quickly enough  staff do not sufficiently reinforce learners’ and placement providers’ awareness of safeguarding.

p.1

Summary of key findings for learners

 pastoral support for highly disaffected and disadvantaged learners is good and encourages learners to participate and engage in learning and development activities  learners make good progress in developing personal and social skills; effective one-to-one coaching and support in sessions boosts self-confidence and improve learners’ communication skills and motivation  staff effectively raise learners’ awareness of job opportunities, including through useful employer visits and talks  learners develop information and communication technology (ICT) skills well from the good learning opportunities at the centre. Inspection dates 3−6 March 2015

p.1

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

p.1

What does the provider need to do to improve further?

 Fully meet the requirements of study programmes by improving the management of the curriculum, set higher expectations for attendance and punctuality and provide more vocational learning, including substantive work experience placements.  Improve the planning of learning sessions so they are more stimulating, with greater focus on meeting different learning styles, and provide greater variety of activities to engage learners.  Enhance the focus on English and mathematics skills development in all learning sessions, and in work placement activities, to help learners make better progress and understand the relevance of these skills in the workplace. Monitor progress in the development of these skills through improved learning targets.  Collect and use attendance, success rate and progression data more effectively to identify and tackle problems; develop a more robust process for the observation of teaching and learning,

p.2

What does the provider need to do to improve further?

with a clearer focus on staff development; ensure that the quality improvement plan addresses all areas for improvement.  Ensure all learners and placement providers have sufficient awareness of safeguarding priorities, by better promotion of relevant information and more formal checking of their understanding.

p.2

Inspection judgements

Outcomes for learners Requires improvement  Romney Resources 2000 Limited provides study programmes for a maximum of 12 learners aged 16 to18 who are not in employment, education or training, and who are from the local area. The study programme consists of work placements to develop learners’ vocational skills; sessions to develop functional skills that lead to qualifications in English, mathematics and ICT; and sessions to develop personal, social and employability skills.  The majority of learners do not develop vocational skills quickly enough. Managers do not plan enough vocational learning opportunities at the centre. Too few learners regularly attend suitable work placements for a substantial part of their time to prepare them well for employment. To date, no learners have achieved longer than the minimum target of 10 days on placement.  A minority of learners do experience positive placements. For example, one learner is developing

p.2

Inspection judgements

a good understanding of employment in a child care setting, including relevant job skills such as supporting child development. The café at the centre is providing useful work experience for a small number of learners to improve skills in customer service, food preparation and hygiene. Voluntary organisations provide useful work experience, but they cannot realistically offer progression into employment.  Learners develop personal and social skills well, and make good progress in this respect from their starting points. They improve their confidence, overcome shyness, and make good progress in communication skills. Those on placement further improve speaking and listening skills well by meeting a wider variety of people and engaging in discussions. They gain employability skills, such as understanding appropriate dress and standards of behaviour. Staff focus well on developing personal and social skills, with effective individual target setting and

p.2

Inspection judgements

reviews of progress.  Rates of progression by learners into sustained employment and/or into further education are too low. Approximately half of learners currently make good progress, whilst others do not progress, or fail to sustain their employment. In a positive example, a learner has progressed well to further education, studying a level 1 award in animal management, as well as learning to live independently. Managers do not formally monitor all learners after they leave, to track progression or to offer further support.  Attendance in learning requires improvement. Managers have a low expectation for attendance, which results in regular attendance of only around 10 hours per week for the majority of learners. Punctuality in sessions is often poor, and the staff approach is too relaxed and informal to reflect employers’ expectations and prepare learners suitably for the world of work.  Too few learners achieve functional skills qualifications in English and particularly in

p.2

Inspection judgements

mathematics. However, learners achieve higher success rates through the use of ‘stepping stone’ English and mathematics qualifications; these modules help learners gain confidence to progress to functional skills qualifications. Learners also make good progress in improving their employability skills in ICT.

p.3

Inspection judgements

The quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement  Teaching, learning and assessment require improvement, as reflected in the insufficient progress that learners make in their vocational skills and the low rate of progression into further education or employment.  Tutors use an insufficiently broad range of learning activities to stimulate and meet the learning styles of all learners. The majority of sessions have insufficient opportunities for learners to develop their communication, team working and problem-solving skills.  Tutors do not use the results of the comprehensive initial assessment of learners’ ability levels and barriers to learning well enough to plan individual sessions and learning activities. Learning outcomes centre on completion of tasks and not on specific and measurable targets against which learners can monitor their own learning and progress. For example, the majority of

p.3

Inspection judgements

targets focus on the completion of examinations; only a few targets focus on the development of skills. The majority of learners have significant additional learning needs and tutors do not systematically assess learners’ needs to put appropriate support plans in place.  Tutors give constructive and encouraging feedback during sessions and on learners’ daily learning records. However, much of the written feedback is insufficiently developmental to help learners improve the standard of their work, and tutors do not routinely correct learners’ spelling and grammatical mistakes.  Tutors do not effectively integrate English and mathematical skills into tasks in employability sessions or work placement activities so that learners can develop and apply their skills in a vocational context. Learners develop ICT skills well through good learning opportunities in sessions. For example, they self-assess their employability and interview skills electronically.

p.3

Inspection judgements

 Tutors rely too much on question-and-answer techniques to assess learning rather than developing clearer assessment methods and criteria to highlight problems. As a result, learners do not progress as far as they could in most sessions.  Pastoral care is very good. Learners enjoy respectful and supportive relationships with staff which help to re-engage them in learning. They build their confidence and increase their motivation to stay on course and succeed. Tutors successfully gain learners’ trust and build their self-esteem, giving the learners confidence to develop their personal and social skills effectively. As a result, learners become more independent and more confident about their future.  Tutors create a positive learning environment through the high levels of one-to-one coaching and support in and out of sessions. Many learners are vulnerable and they frequently have poor previous experiences of education. As a result of this effective support, learners’ behaviour is

p.3

Inspection judgements

improving, as are attendance rates, although these still require further improvement. Learners enjoy and benefit from the good working relationships they have with their tutors.  Initial advice and guidance require improvement. Learners are not sufficiently clear about what will be expected of them, the content of the programmes and the qualifications they are enrolled on before starting their course. As a result, they do not take ownership of their learning and are mostly passive recipients of day-to-day planned learning activities.  Staff provide good opportunities to raise learners’ awareness about the different employment sectors and job opportunities, for example through visits to a local power station, a hairdressing salon and a job fair in Folkestone, as well as an apprenticeships presentation from a construction company. Some of the work placements provide good opportunities for learners to

p.3

Inspection judgements

develop their employability skills and knowledge of the job market. An employer in the hospitality sector described one learner as ‘delightful’ and a ‘highly professional worker’.  A strong culture exists among all staff to provide equality of opportunity for their learners, who are often disaffected and disadvantaged, and who have a wide variety of individual support needs and difficulties with learning. The staff deal sensitively and constructively with learners’ complex personal difficulties.  The promotion of diversity within teaching and learning requires improvement. Tutors do not effectively challenge perceptions about stereotypical employment roles; for example, tutors did not tackle stereotyping during a presentation by a construction employer about apprenticeship routes. Staff do not sufficiently reinforce learners’ understanding of themes relating to diversity at induction or during progress reviews, including reviews for those on work placement.

p.4

Inspection judgements

The effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement  Leadership and management requires improvement. Since the previous inspection, managers have taken many actions to tackle identified areas for improvement. The board of trustees has been re-structured, with new sub-groups to focus on specific aspects of performance. In particular, managers have established a strategy group for the study programme, as well as a youth team with new staff who have specific responsibilities to increase work placements, teach English and mathematics, and help those with additional support needs. However, these actions have not yet had sufficient impact on the learners’ experience, and outcomes for learners and teaching, learning and assessment still require further improvement.  The study programme curriculum requires improvement and is not currently meeting the needs of all participants. Many learners attend for too few hours. Managers are not providing sufficient

p.4

Inspection judgements

opportunities for learners to develop job-related skills. Too few learners have access to suitable substantive work placements, despite the good employer links that are resulting in interesting visits and talks to raise awareness of different job roles and opportunities. Managers provide insufficient vocational learning opportunities at the centre.  Managers have not ensured that staff development focuses sufficiently on improving standards of learning; for example, teachers’ skills to provide a wider variety of teaching methods to meet individual learning styles require further development. Lesson observers do not provide sufficient critical feedback and support for action planning to help staff understand fully how they can improve.  Managers have improved self-assessment. The process now includes managers, staff and learners, and has more focus on the study programme than previously. Managers provide much

p.4

Inspection judgements

clearer judgements. However, they do not identify all areas for improvement, and therefore the subsequent quality improvement plan is incomplete.  The collection and use of data require improvement. Recording of learners’ hours of attendance is inaccurate and managers rely too much on local data to measure success rates. They do not routinely compare this with the formal, validated data that is available. Overall, the collection of data is improving, with electronic information frequently updated to show details of individual learners and their progress.  Managers and staff use frequent meetings well to focus on matters relating to individual learners. Managers and tutors set targets, for example to recruit more placements or fix dates for learners’ achievements, but these targets are not routinely met.  Good links with local socio-economic partnerships support the aims of the organisation, which is

p.4

Inspection judgements

the sole provider of employability skills in the area. Leaders and senior managers have a clear vision to meet the needs of local disaffected and disadvantaged learners who are not in employment, education or training. All staff are committed to this vision, and a strong ethos exists throughout the organisation to support learners who often have multiple and diverse needs. The board of trustees has wide and relevant experience and is taking a more active role in monitoring the study programme.  Good partnerships exist with local community groups, support agencies and a college. A new contract is resulting in an additional programme for young people to re-engage in learning, which offers a progression route to the study programme.  Managers and staff promote an ethos of equality and respect for diversity well throughout the organisation, ensuring all learners receive fair treatment and have an equal opportunity to

p.4

Inspection judgements

achieve and progress. Managers collect and analyse data to ensure they are aware of any achievement gaps between different groups; currently no such gaps exist.  Safeguarding arrangements require improvement. Managers do not sufficiently and formally promote awareness of all relevant matters relating to keeping learners safe, both to learners and placement providers, or sufficiently check the understanding of providers or learners. Links with local safeguarding boards are not sufficiently established. Trustees have not yet all had appropriate training.  The designated safeguarding officer records incidents thoroughly and securely on a database. Managers complete appropriate actions to deal with any incidents, and seek advice from relevant agencies when required. They keep a central register of appropriate staff checks. All staff have recently completed update training in safeguarding. Learners feel safe, both on

p.5

Romney Resource 2000 Limited

Inspection grades are based on a provider’s performance:

p.6

Romney Resource 2000 Limited

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

p.6

Romney Resource 2000 Limited

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

p.6

Romney Resource 2000 Limited

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

p.6

Provider details

Type of provider Independent learning provider

p.7

full contract year

Principal/CEO Ms Edna Delaney Date of previous inspection October 2013 Website address www.romney-resource.co.uk

p.7

programme level

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

p.7

Apprenticeship level and age

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

p.7

Number of learners aged 14-16

Full-time - Part-time - Number of community learners - Number of employability learners 9 Funding received from Education Funding Agency

p.7

Contextual information

Romney Resource 2000 Limited, established in 1999, is a registered charity and offers a range of employability training courses. The study programme was introduced in September 2013 and is designed to meet the needs of young people aged 16 to18 who reside within the rural and coastal areas of Romney Marsh and who are not in employment, education or training.

p.8

Information about this inspection

Lead inspector Gary Adkins The lead inspector and one additional inspector, assisted by the training manager 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 since 2013 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.

p.8

Grade Judgement

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

p.9

Grade Judgement

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

p.9

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 .

p.9

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.

p.9

Grade Judgement

To find out more go to www.learnerview.ofsted.gov.uk

p.9

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.

p.9

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.

p.9

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 .

p.10

Grade Judgement

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

p.10