Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council

FE&S report Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council Adult and community learning

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Inspection dates 22–23 February and 7–8 March 2016

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Outcomes for learners Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Adult learning programmes Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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This is a provider that requires improvement

 Tutors’ planning of individual targets is insufficient to enable all learners to realise their full potential.  Tutors’ written and verbal feedback to learners is not sufficiently detailed to enable learners to make good progress.  Learners’ progression to further study or employment is too low.  Managers’ evaluation of the quality of teaching and learning is not fully accurate, which slows improvements in tutors’ practice.  Managers’ self-assessment is not sufficiently accurate or rigorous and action plans for improvement lack challenging targets.  Scrutiny of the service’s performance by senior leaders is insufficient.

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This is a provider that requires improvement

 Family learning is good and enables parents to support their children’s literacy and numeracy skills development effectively.  Learners achieve high grades in English and mathematics at GCSE level.  The council is strongly committed to engaging with vulnerable and disadvantaged groups.  The service creates an inclusive and harmonious culture where learners feel safe, participate well and enjoy learning.  Learners, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, develop self-confidence as a result of very good support.

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The provider has the following strengths

Inspection Report: Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council, 22–23 February & 7–8 March 2016. Page 2 of 9

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Information about the provider

 Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council in West Yorkshire is one of the smaller metropolitan boroughs. It provides learning for around 3,700 adults per year. Adult learning is provided through Calderdale Local Education Authority and delivered through the adult and community learning service, Calderdale Adult Learning (CAL). The unemployment rate in Calderdale is 5.2% compared with 4% nationally.  CAL provides a range of courses for adults, particularly in information and communication technology (ICT), leisure, arts, media and publishing, languages, literature and culture, preparation for life and work including literacy and numeracy, English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) and provision for a significant number of adults with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. CAL also offers family learning in partnership with over 30 schools in the borough. In addition, CAL delivers Neighbourhood Learning in

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Information about the provider

Deprived Communities with six subcontractors. Programmes are provided at a new, well-resourced centre in Halifax as well as at a wide range of community venues using well-established partnerships including schools.

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by: – increasing the proportion of learners who achieve their learning aim by making better use of initial assessment of learners’ skills to set targets and plan individual learning – improving tutors’ ability to help learners to set their own meaningful, measurable and ambitious targets on adult learning programmes so that their progress can be more accurately evaluated and all learners make the progress of which they are capable.  Tutors should provide detailed individual learning plans and written feedback so that learners are aware of their individual targets, the progress they have made and what they need to do to improve.  Managers should review the provision to refocus adult learning programmes more strongly towards employment opportunities and make better use of links with other providers to develop progression routes.  Senior leaders should ensure that they receive regular and detailed reports of learners’ performance and

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

that they challenge managers rigorously where underperformance is identified.  Managers should ensure that the observations of the quality of teaching and learning accurately evaluate strengths and areas for improvement and act as an effective mechanism for staff development and improvement.  Improve the rigour of self-assessment by: – ensuring that managers’ self-assessment of provision is sufficiently evaluative, they use performance data to inform their judgements and that improvement plans have clear and measurable targets – ensuring that senior leaders scrutinise and challenge performance more regularly and effectively. Inspection Report: Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council, 22–23 February & 7–8 March 2016. Page 3 of 9

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders and managers have not addressed all areas of underperformance identified at the last inspection. For example, managers have not monitored the quality of targets set by tutors well enough, to ensure that they meet the individual needs of all learners to enable them to make the progress of which they are capable. Managers acknowledge that the distraction of moving to a new centre has impacted adversely on their ability to manage the provision effectively and improve the quality of provision for learners in the previous year.  Managers’ ability to analyse data and self-assess the quality of provision is not sufficiently good. Data analysis is not explicit enough to enable managers to identify accurately strengths and weaknesses. Managers do not clearly evaluate the reasons for underperformance or make the link between the quality of teaching and outcomes, especially where outcomes are low, for example, in ESOL (English for speakers

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

of other languages) at entry level 3 and functional skills English at level 2.  Managers do not sufficiently evaluate the provision in the self-assessment report and do not accurately identify all of the areas for improvement, resulting in many of the judgements they make being overly optimistic. The quality improvement plan is not fully effective as a tool to drive and monitor improvement as it lacks detail in parts and impact measures are not clear. Managers have been too slow to implement many of the improvement actions. Curriculum leaders monitor the associated subject-level action plans more effectively.  Managers regularly review the quality of teaching and learning by carrying out lesson observations. However, observers focus too much on tutors’ knowledge and not enough on the effect the tutor’s teaching has on learning and individual learners’ progress. This hinders the effective use of the outcomes

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

of observations to contribute to staff development activities and performance management. Managers have not ensured that all staff have had recent training in understanding the standards expected of them or the skills required in providing objective feedback.  Managers do not set specific enough targets for staff at appraisal to allow them to improve their individual performance. Records of performance reviews are often brief and they do not always evaluate progress against previous improvement actions.  Managers do not provide appropriate progression routes to ensure that learners are able to progress to further study or employment.  Many centres used by subcontractors for adult learning are located appropriately in the areas of greatest deprivation in the district to improve engagement with local communities. Good examples exist of community learning initiatives for hard-to-reach groups such as ex-offenders and women. Partnerships

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

with voluntary and community groups are well established. The service has introduced more courses at the main centre for vulnerable groups such as adults with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.  Managers lead the family learning provision well. They have reviewed the curriculum in response to feedback from head teachers and made improvements. The family learning manager analyses local school improvement plans to target family learning support well. Family learning is providing opportunities for a significant number of parents to support their children’s literacy and numeracy. This is contributing to raising the attainment of local children and improving the confidence of their parents.  Managers lead the curriculum at subject level well. Curriculum leaders review their quality improvement plans regularly and have met many of the planned actions. Regular team meetings and good communication ensure that staff work well together and provide learners with a positive experience.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 Managers and staff have created an inclusive and harmonious environment at the new centre, where learners feel safe and enjoy meeting and learning with people of different backgrounds. The service has recently relocated to well-planned and well-resourced accommodation; as a result, more learners are willing to travel from their immediate community to study. Managers are providing opportunities to increase the number of learners from areas with high levels of deprivation through working with a number of well-established partners. Staff support learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities very well to participate fully in learning.  Tutors are aware of their responsibility to promote learners’ understanding of equality, diversity and British values. Currently tutors lack confidence in how to achieve this and the majority of learners are not yet fully aware of these issues.  The governance of the provider

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

– Governance requires improvement. While a formal reporting mechanism for reviewing performance of the service exists, it relies too much on over-optimistic information provided by service managers. Inspection Report: Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council, 22–23 February & 7–8 March 2016. Page 4 of 9 Senior leaders are not fully aware of some of the key areas that are underperforming; for example, the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. – Reports to senior leaders focus too much on funding and operational issues, for example, the move to a new site as opposed to learner outcomes and the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. Senior leaders provide minimal challenge and ask insufficient questions about aspects of weaker performance or progress made to improve the quality of provision. – The council has appropriate strategies and key targets to which CAL contributes, for example in

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

improving health. Senior leaders are experienced in the educational sector and are committed to improving the service despite the current funding restraints.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective – Safeguarding practice is well embedded across the service and is effective in ensuring that learners are safe and protected. The area for improvement noted at the last inspection have been rectified, and learners use safe working practice when using the internet. Dedicated safeguarding staff work effectively with learners who are more vulnerable. The vast majority of staff have completed training on the ‘Prevent’ duty and the risks posed by radicalisation. Learners are slowly showing a developing understanding in relation to these issues. – Managers have implemented robust policies and procedures, including for subcontractors, covering staff recruitment and the vetting of all teaching and support staff. The central register for detailing all

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

of the disclosure and barring service checks for all staff is detailed and up to date.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 The service provides courses to around 3,700 adults per year. The vast majority are on non-accredited and very short courses while the remainder are on accredited qualifications, mainly in English, mathematics and ESOL at entry level to level 2. CAL offers a range of programmes to support the life and work prospects of local residents, prioritising those out of work and most at risk of social and economic exclusion. This is mostly through entry level and level 1 courses.  Tutors set insufficiently challenging or measurable targets for learners, particularly where courses do not lead to externally assessed qualifications. Many learners do not understand the progress they are making because tutors do not set them specific targets or monitor the progress they make sufficiently well. Targets do not fully identify the specific skills learners need to master in order to move onto the next stage of their learning.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 The majority of learners on non-accredited courses do not make the progress of which they are capable because tutors do not make enough use of the results of the initial assessment of learners’ starting points to set targets and plan individual learning. As a result learners, particularly the more able, do not make rapid enough progress.  Tutors display good subject knowledge; however, they are insufficiently focused on challenging the more- able learners, which prevents them from realising their full potential. For example, teachers often answer learners’ questions immediately instead of considering using the opportunity to check on the knowledge and understanding within the rest of the class and create discussion that all could learn from.  Tutors do not provide sufficiently detailed written feedback on learners’ work; learners are not clear about how to make further improvements, do not understand the skills they have developed or know how well

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

they are progressing.  Learners develop the English skills they need to seek employment by learning about the use of correct English when writing job application letters and how to present curriculum vitae. Tutors do not routinely correct spelling, punctuation and grammar in other written work and learners continue to make the same mistakes. The teaching of mathematics in lessons is more effective and enables learners to understand mathematical concepts; for example, learners were able to calculate percentages of the nutritional value of food products through analysing label information.  Tutors provide good personal and academic support to meet learners’ needs. They are particularly sensitive to the needs of those who lack confidence in their own abilities or who face significant barriers to learning. Productive relationships between tutors and learners result in learners feeling confident enough to ask for help or clarification with any problems they have. Volunteers in subcontracted provision

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

provide effective support to learners who need additional help in lessons, including those who speak English as an additional language.  Tutors responsible for developing communication and numeracy skills for learners with specific needs have high and demanding expectations. They are insistent that learners understand the protocol involved in discussions. Learners are required to develop their deductive skills and consider existing information Inspection Report: Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council, 22–23 February & 7–8 March 2016. Page 5 of 9 before answering. Similarly, in cookery lessons learners are developing good understanding of weights and measures when applied to bread making.  In family learning lessons, learners widen their social network and successfully develop the basic skills that they need for employment and everyday life by participating in a wide range of activities and tasks.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

In one lesson, parents articulated the new skills they had learned in Easter basket and mask making and how this had enabled them to develop activities with their children at home. The majority of learners develop greater confidence and are able to help their children to understand English and mathematics better.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

 Tutors make insufficient use of the results of initial and diagnostic assessment when planning, implementing, managing, monitoring and recording individual learner progress in English and mathematics and employability skills development lessons.  Tutors do not ensure that they focus sufficiently on meeting individual learner needs. In many sessions in non-accredited provision, all learners are working towards the same learning aim or goal, with the result that a significant minority are not realising their full potential.  While impartial careers advice is available, few learners take this up; tutors do not provide sufficient guidance during the course regarding the learners’ next steps to further study or employment. Effective initial advice and guidance provided by appropriately qualified staff at the start of the programme leads to a high proportion of learners remaining on their course.  Progression to further study or employment on non-accredited courses is too low. The majority of

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

learners progress onto other non-accredited courses at CAL; however, managers do not collect and analyse data to enable them to track learners moving on to a higher level of study. Attendance is too low on a number of courses but is good in family learning sessions.  Learners and staff demonstrate the values of mutual respect and support at CAL and at partner provision. However, learners’ understanding of British values is underdeveloped.  Tutors develop learners’ personal and social skills well. For example, in a community-based functional mathematics class, learners report how meeting other learners is benefiting them socially and improving their self-confidence. Staff recruit learners from deprived communities and enable them to re-engage with learning in a supportive and caring environment.  Learners overcome their individual barriers to learning and become more confident and independent. Family learning programmes are having a positive impact on parents’ confidence as well as improving

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

their mathematics and communication skills and their children’s attainment levels.  Learners enjoy their programmes, are well motivated and take part in inclusive and welcoming sessions. Learners benefit from small class sizes and the high levels of attention they receive. They appreciate the flexibility of provision, which enables them to attend and participate in education.  Support and guidance from staff helps learners improve their employability skills in direct, practical ways such as curriculum vitae preparation and the development of effective interview techniques. However, they do not sufficiently develop their technical skills to help them progress to further study or employment.

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Outcomes for learners require improvement

 Success rates for learners on ESOL courses at entry level 3 and English functional skills at level 2 are low and are below that for other similar providers nationally.  On non-accredited courses, which make up the vast majority of provision, the arrangements for the recognition and recording of progress and achievement (RARPA) are not sufficiently reliable to evaluate progress and attainment rates accurately across all courses.  Although progression to a higher level of ESOL or functional skills is good, progression to further study and employment is too low. The capacity to use computers effectively adds significantly to the work- readiness of those who undertake a course in ICT.  Many learners, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, gain good skills and confidence, which helps them to become more independent in their everyday lives. They enjoy their courses and the very large majority are very positive about the chances provided because of their

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Outcomes for learners require improvement

learning experience. Inspection Report: Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council, 22–23 February & 7–8 March 2016. Page 6 of 9  The achievement rates and high grades that learners achieve for English and mathematics at GCSE are very good and are much higher than for similar providers nationally. Outcomes for functional skills at levels 1 and 2 in mathematics and at level 1 for English are high when compared with other providers.  There are no significant variations in the achievement of different groups of learners. Inspection Report: Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council, 22–23 February & 7–8 March 2016. Page 7 of 9

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full contract year

Senior Commissioning Officer Mr Kevin Cheng Website address Calderdale.gov.uk

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Intermediate Advanced Higher

16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Number of traineeships 16-19 19+ Total N/A N/A N/A Number of learners aged 14–16 N/A

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Intermediate Advanced Higher

Funding received from Skills Funding Agency (SFA)

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main subcontractors:

 Calderdale Smartmove  Halifax Opportunities Trust  Halifax Probation Centre  Mixenden Parents Resource Centre  Northlight Art Studio  Womencentre Calderdale Inspection Report: Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council, 22–23 February & 7–8 March 2016. Page 8 of 9

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Inspection team

Andrea Machell, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Ken Fisher Ofsted Inspector David Longworth Ofsted Inspector Priscilla McGuire Ofsted Inspector Patrick McKinley Ofsted Inspector Stella Owen Chris Young Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

The above team was assisted by the Senior Commissioning Officer, Lifelong Learning, as nominee. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous inspection report. Inspectors used group and individual interviews, telephone calls and online questionnaires to gather the views of learners and partners; these views are reflected within the report. They observed learning sessions, assessments and progress reviews. The inspection took into account all relevant provision at the provider. 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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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, adult and 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Inspection team

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk 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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Inspection team

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

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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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

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