Mediprospects

Further education and skills inspection report

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Mediprospects Independent Learning Provider

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Overall effectiveness Good Effectiveness of leadership and management Good Adult learning programmes Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Summary of key findings

 Leaders and managers have high expectations of staff and learners. They have created a highly aspirational learning environment in which learners develop good knowledge and skills required to work in the care sector.  Managers have established good partnerships with local employers, such as doctors’ surgeries and care homes, which has enabled them to develop a curriculum which meets the needs of learners and employers in the health and social care and childcare sectors.  Teachers provide learners with very good academic and pastoral support. As a result, learners achieve their qualifications and progress well into care-related employment.  Learners take additional qualifications which are relevant to their future careers in the care sectors and which increase their employment opportunities.  Managers and staff develop learners’ understanding of fundamental British values very well, and learners understand their

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Summary of key findings

relevance within the workplace. Learners from diverse cultural backgrounds are highly respectful and tolerant of each other.  Learners who speak English as an additional language develop good language skills which enable them to integrate very well into their places of employment and into the wider community.  The large majority of learners benefit from work experience as a part of their course and this enables them to link their theoretical knowledge to practical situations effectively.  Leaders and managers do not provide learners with sufficient advice and guidance on the broad range of career opportunities available to them to help make informed decisions about their next steps.  Leaders and governors do not identify accurately enough the strengths and weaknesses of the organisation or monitor the impact of their actions rigorously enough in order to secure improvements swiftly.

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Information about the provider

 Mediprospects is a small independent learning provider situated in Newham, East London. Mediprospects serves an area of London with high levels of deprivation and a diverse range of minority ethnic groups. Unemployment rates in Newham are higher than those across London and there is a higher proportion of unemployed females.  The provider offers courses to approximately 150 adult learners in health and social care, and more recently childcare courses. All learners are funded through advanced learner loans and study at level 3 or level 4. The majority of learners are women, with a high proportion who speak English as an additional language. The provider has recently secured a small contract for apprenticeships, but as yet there are no learners on apprenticeship programmes.

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that leaders and governors put effective processes in place that enable them to identify accurately the strengths and areas for development and to monitor rigorously the progress that they make in securing planned improvements.  Ensure that all learners receive high-quality careers advice and guidance which provide them with a good understanding of the careers choices available to them and enable them to make informed decisions about their next steps.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Leaders and managers have set out very effectively the vision of the organisation in providing training in the health and social care and child care sectors. They successfully enable learners to improve their skills and knowledge in order to gain employment or progress to further learning.  Leaders and managers have high expectations of learners. They have established a supportive culture for learners and there is a widespread commitment from all staff to ensure that learners remain in education and achieve their qualifications. Learners from a diverse range of backgrounds work together well, and have high levels of respect and tolerance for each other.  The professional development of staff is a high priority for leaders and managers. They use annual appraisals effectively to identify training needs and as a result, provide staff with extensive opportunities to gain qualifications. These include higher-level

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

qualifications in health and social care and childcare, teacher training and assessor awards and qualifications in careers guidance. As a result, staff are highly skilled and motivated and staff turnover is low.  Managers have established extensive partnerships within the local area to ensure that the curriculum they offer meets the needs of learners and local employers. For example, they work with local doctors’ surgeries to offer training to employees wishing to pursue a career in nursing and for learners in care homes to pursue higher-level qualifications. Courses also meet the needs of learners in the local community who require a qualification to gain employment. Employers speak positively about the contribution that learners make to the workplace and they value highly the skills and knowledge that learners develop at Mediprospects.  Leaders and managers develop learners’ understanding of fundamental British values

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

well. Learners celebrate each other’s religious festivals and develop tolerance for the views and values of other learners. Learners take part in discussion on challenging topics, including those related to the care sectors in which they work. As a result, they understand how British values relate to their careers aspirations and their lives in modern Britain.  Leaders’ own evaluation of the quality of the provision is overly positive. Although leaders identify and rectify a few weaknesses, such as the reversal of the decline in the proportion of learners who leave courses early, they identify too few areas for improvement. Too many of the actions to improve the organisation relate to business growth, rather than to the improvement of quality. For example, managers do not place sufficient emphasis on improving teaching, learning and assessment. As a result, managers do not monitor effectively the progress that they make.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Leaders and managers do not ensure that there is a consistent approach to careers advice and guidance. As a result, they do not ensure that all learners receive the information they need to make informed decisions about their future careers.

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The governance of the provider

 Governors do not challenge leaders and managers well enough to scrutinise the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. They focus mainly on the achievement of high pass rates and do not consider the wider outcomes that learners attain.  Leaders and managers have been securing more effective governance arrangements, and they recognise the need for improved challenge for senior leaders. They have recently appointed two new governors and at the time of the inspection one had just commenced in post. It is too early to determine the impact of these new arrangements.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Leaders and managers ensure that staff and learners understand the risks posed by extremism and radicalisation. Staff receive appropriate training. For example, they work closely with the Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism unit and complete online safeguarding and ‘Prevent’ duty training. Staff understand the risks in the local area, such as knife crime, and support learners well to keep themselves safe.  Leaders, managers and tutors place a high priority on learners’ safety. They establish robust processes to keep learners safe and, as a result, learners feel safe in and around the centre.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 The large majority of teachers plan and teach their lessons well. They use their skills and experience effectively to ensure that activities are interesting, varied and challenge the majority of learners. For example, in a lesson on dementia, the teacher used a range of highly effective strategies so that health and social care learners gained detailed knowledge about the effects of dementia on clients, which they were able to apply in a workplace setting.  Teachers have high expectations of learners. They are enthusiastic in their teaching and, as a result, learners enjoy their lessons, are highly motivated and keen to learn. Teachers create an inclusive learning environment in which learners feel safe to answer questions and express their opinions. Learners support each other very well when working in groups and refer to a sense of ‘family’ within the organisation.  Teachers improve learners’ knowledge and skills of the care sector well. They use their

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

vocational experience to apply theoretical concepts to practical situations. In a health and social care lesson, learners identified how strokes can leave permanent damage to the brain and how this can increase the likelihood of the onset of dementia.  Teachers develop learners’ English skills well during lessons. In the majority of lessons, teachers support learners to develop their writing skills. Learners take notes effectively during lessons and they write detailed reflective logs on work experience, enabling them to reflect on their practice. Teachers encourage learners to read aloud in class, take part in discussions and answer questions. As a result, learners, including those who speak English as an additional language, develop their verbal communication skills well. Teachers provide learners with support to pronounce technical terms clearly so that they can use them effectively in the workplace.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teachers support learners very well, both during and between lessons, to achieve their learning goals. They assess learners’ progress frequently, ensuring that assessments and reviews are timely and regular. Where learners require additional help with assignments, teachers are readily available to provide effective support. Many learners benefit from this additional support, often on days that they do not attend lessons. As a result, learners have a very good understanding of the progress that they make towards achieving their qualifications and are motivated to succeed.  Teachers provide learners with detailed and helpful feedback. During lessons, teachers respond positively to learners and correct their verbal communication sensitively, often encouraging learners to extend their responses to questions. As a result, learners improve their confidence and self-esteem. Teachers’ feedback on written work and in progress

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

reviews is detailed and makes clear what learners need to remain on target or to improve. Learners appreciate the level of support that they receive from their teachers.  Managers and teachers do not identify learners’ learning difficulties or disabilities early enough in their course. As a result, teachers are not able to put specialist support swiftly into place to support learners with more complex needs.  In too many lessons, learners do not develop their mathematics skills sufficiently. Teachers assess learners’ competence in mathematics accurately at the start of the course. However, they do not use this information to agree targets for improvement or to ensure that learners develop relevant mathematical skills during their lessons.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

 Learners are extremely positive about their achievements on their course, the progress they make and particularly about the prospects they have to progress into employment. The large majority of learners improve in confidence and feel assured about their next steps. Many learners, most of whom are women and whose previous chances to gain employment were low, speak highly of the opportunities that Mediprospects offers them.  Learners’ attitudes to learning are extremely positive and their behaviour during lessons and around the centre is exemplary. They celebrate the diverse cultures that exist within the organisations and use this diversity effectively to broaden their understanding and knowledge of each other’s values and beliefs.  The large majority of learners arrive at lessons on time and are ready to learn with notebook and pens. They participate well in their lessons. They answer questions and

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

contribute to discussions and are keen to improve their knowledge and understanding. Learners enjoy their lessons and their attendance at taught sessions and on work placements is very good.  Learners develop good skills to prepare them for the workplace. For example, they understand and demonstrate appropriate workplace attitudes and behaviours. They understand how to relate to clients in care settings in a range of situations. Learners use information technology well in the classroom to support their learning.  All learners have the opportunity to take additional qualifications such as infection control, health and safety and moving and handling people. The majority of learners choose to take one or more of these and thereby improve their skills and their chances of gaining employment.  Learners feel safe within the organisation and within their workplaces. Staff support learners very well to understand how to keep themselves safe and form positive

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

relationships, both within and outside their learning environment. Learners feel confident to discuss sensitive issues with staff and access the support that is available to them. As a result, the very large majority of learners are able to continue in education and achieve their qualifications.  The large majority of learners benefit from very effective work experience as a part of their course and many have part-time employment in relevant care sectors. Where learners have work experience during their programme, they benefit from linking their theoretical knowledge to practical experiences. A minority of learners do not yet have a placement and, as a result, are unable to link theory and practical work. Although the majority of learners have clear career aims when they enrol at the organisation and many progress into employment, learners do not receive well-planned and coherent careers guidance throughout their course. As a result, teachers do not ensure that all learners

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

have sufficient information to explore other options or to understand the broad range of careers paths that are open to them. Teachers provide good careers support for those learners who request it.

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Outcomes for learners Good

 The proportion of learners who complete their courses and achieve their qualifications is high. Many learners achieve additional qualifications which improve their workplace skills and their employment opportunities. At the time of the inspection no learners had left their courses. The overwhelming majority of learners who remain in learning pass their qualification.  Managers monitor the progress of different groups of learners well and take effective actions to address concerns. For example, they successfully rectified the small gap between the achievements of learners from different ethnic groups that existed in 2015/16. Female learners achieve slightly better than male learners, but the proportion of male learners is very low.  The standard of learners’ work is high and most make good progress relative to their prior attainment. Learners develop skills and knowledge that are relevant to their future

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Outcomes for learners Good

employment and a high proportion of learners move into employment or further education. An increasing proportion of learners progress into higher education and a small proportion take up voluntary work.

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Provider details

Type of provider Independent learning provider

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Provider details

Approximate number of all learners over the previous full contract year Principal/CEO Shafi Choudhury

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Provider information at the time of the inspection

Main course or learning programme level Level 1 or below Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 or above Total number of learners (excluding apprenticeships) 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+

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Provider information at the time of the inspection

0 0 0 0 0 145 0 0 Number of apprentices by apprenticeship level and age Intermediate Advanced Higher

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Provider information at the time of the inspection

16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 0 0 0 0 0 0 Number of traineeships 16–19 19+ Total 0 0 0 Number of learners aged 14 to

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Provider information at the time of the inspection

Number of learners for which the provider receives high- needs funding At the time of inspection, the provider contracts with the following main subcontractors: None

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the chief executive, 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 employers; 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.

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Inspection team

Lynda Brown, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Dan Grant Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-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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Inspection team

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

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Inspection team

Employer View Employer View is a 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. To find out more go to www.employerview.ofsted.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

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 .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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