MI ComputSolutions Incorporated

Further education and skills inspection report

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MI ComputSolutions Incorporated Independent learning provider

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Inspection dates 30 January–2 February 2018

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

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Apprenticeships Inadequate Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Outcomes for learners Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings

This is a provider that requires improvement

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Summary of key findings

 Leaders and managers have not taken sufficient action to remedy the weaknesses in apprenticeship provision identified at previous inspections.  Governance arrangements and management reporting are insufficient to enable the board to scrutinise the work of senior leaders.  Too few apprentices complete their qualifications in health and social care and early years.  Too few adult learners gain employment or continue into further training on completion of their studies.  Senior leaders do not use management information and data well enough to identify when apprentices make slow progress.  Too few learners and apprentices receive effective careers advice and guidance. They do not have a clear view about how their training benefits them, or know what their future opportunities may be.

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Summary of key findings

The provider has the following strengths

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Summary of key findings

 Leaders, managers and staff create a positive and harmonious environment in which to study. Learners are tolerant and respectful of their peers and teachers.  The quality of teaching on adult programmes, which make up the large majority of courses, is good. Almost all learners complete their qualifications in English and mathematics, health and social care, and business management.  Teachers provide highly effective individual help and instruction to adult learners to ensure that they make good progress with their studies.  Adult learners are highly motivated and grow in confidence and self-esteem. They enjoy coming to centres to learn and make new friends.  Adult learners benefit from the organisation’s strong partnership arrangements with the local authority to provide education and training for those who have significant obstacles to learning.

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Information about the provider

 MI Computsolutions (MISDC), established in 2002, is a limited company providing education and training to disadvantaged community groups in the London boroughs of Lewisham, Newham and Lambeth. The majority of learners are adults who attend classes in the provider’s centres in Brixton and Deptford.  MISDC and a subcontractor partner provide apprenticeship programmes in health and social care, early years, business administration and retail and customer services. Recently, through a second subcontractor partner, MISDC started to offer traineeship programmes in digital technology to a few learners aged 16 plus.  MISDC is the lead partner in Community Life Change project, a south London council initiative to meet the training and education needs of learners who are long-term unemployed, homeless and/or economically inactive. These learners are not within the scope of this inspection.

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

 Leaders, managers and teachers need to provide effective careers advice to enable learners and apprentices to know what they can do when they complete their course.  Senior leaders need to review their existing governance arrangements and reporting, by: – establishing effective arrangements to enable trustees to scrutinise and challenge the work of senior leaders – providing trustees with accurate and relevant management information in-year on the progress and achievement of apprentices and adult learners.  Senior leaders need to ensure that they have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the apprenticeship programme. They need to hold managers and trainer– assessors to account for increasing rapidly the proportion of apprentices on health and social care, and early years, who complete their qualification within their planned time, by: – reviewing the educational starting points of individual apprentices to inform the

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

length of time they study, and to provide good-quality learning – monitoring trainer–assessors’ supervision of learning to ensure that they accurately record apprentices’ ongoing skills and knowledge development – ensuring that apprentices and their employers understand the progress apprentices make, know the skills and knowledge they need to acquire, and know the deadline dates to compete their qualification within their planned time – using available management information and data to identify when apprentices make slow progress and ensure that trainer–assessors take swift action to bring about improvements in learning.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Leaders and managers have not taken sufficient action to remedy the many weaknesses in apprenticeship provision identified at previous inspections. The proportion of apprentices who complete their learning is very low.  Managers’ evaluation of the overall quality of provision is insufficiently rigorous. Their self- assessment of performance places too little focus on apprentices’ continued slow progress. Managers acknowledge that too few adult learners gain employment on completion of their learning, but fail to recognise that careers advice is insufficient to enable most learners to plan their next steps in learning and life.  Leaders’ and managers’ monitoring of the quality of apprenticeship learning is weak. They do not use data effectively to monitor and review apprentices’ ongoing learning and progress. Managers do not know precisely why apprentices make such poor progress.  In 2015/16, senior leaders made the decision to accept additional apprentices from a

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

failing provider. No additional funding was available for many of these learners and a minority had passed their expected completion date. This compounded the challenges managers already had to improve the longstanding underperformance of their existing apprenticeship contract.  Managers do not manage the small proportion of subcontractor provision well enough and have an insufficient overview of the quality of learning. Managers have not observed teaching, learning and assessment of traineeship learning at the subcontractor centre or in the workplace, and they do not know how well each learner is progressing. Managers do not know the reasons why too few learners on traineeship programmes progress into employment or an apprenticeship.  Senior leaders have a clear mission to improve the life chances of learners who have had limited experience of formal learning. Leaders successfully communicate this vision to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

managers and staff, who are welcoming and helpful to learners. Staff morale is high, and all are motivated to see that learners succeed.  Learners benefit from the organisation’s strong partnership arrangements with the local authority to provide education and training that meets the skills requirements of both local learners and employers. For example, in partnership with the local authority, MISDC provides an English and mathematics course to help employed learners become more independent at work. Managers respond rapidly to requests from employers to provide vocational training in areas such as health and social care, and retail services by providing introductory programmes to give learners a flavour of what employment with these employers would be like.  Leaders and managers are highly responsive to the views and concerns of learners. They rapidly action improvements that learners identify, for example by providing trips to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

museums and places of interest for learners who felt they had a limited understanding of life outside of their own community. Staff and learners talk confidentially of what British values mean and how these values enhance their own lives within their community and with their employers.  Managers are effective at managing the performance of staff. As a result, teachers focus their time carefully to ensure that adult learners develop good vocational skills in health and social care, early years, business and retail services. Well-qualified teachers take part in a good range of training and development activities that enable them to become expert practitioners. Managers have recently set trainer–assessors clear targets for improvement linked to the progress of their apprentices, although it is too soon to measure the impact on apprentices’ outcomes.  Managers have an effective oversight of the quality of teaching, learning and assessment

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

in classroom-based adult learning. They work effectively with other providers of adult learning to evaluate the quality of classroom-based learning. Teachers develop their skills further by sharing sector best practice with an outstanding provider of adult learning.

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The governance of the provider

 Governance arrangements are insufficient to enable the board of trustees to scrutinise the work of senior leaders. Too few trustees are external to the organisation. They do not have a sufficiently objective view of the quality of provision to provide guidance and challenge to senior leaders.  Leaders’ and managers’ reports to the board lack sufficient detail to enable external trustees to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the provision. Managers’ reports of learners’ progress and achievement are insufficient to enable board members to recognise the continued poor progress of apprentices.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff understand the different levels of potential risk learners may encounter and act appropriately to raise learners’ understanding of how to keep themselves safe. Arrangements with external agencies are strong. The designated safeguard lead acts effectively with emergency housing providers, children’s social care agencies and others to quickly protect learners should there be a concern.  Learners feel safe and know to whom they should take any concerns they may have. They have a good understanding about how to keep themselves and their children safe when using social media and shopping via the internet. Leaders and managers have met effectively their obligations under the ‘Prevent’ duty. Staff and learners understand well how to challenge appropriately those people who express unsuitable views.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teaching, learning and assessment for adult learners, which makes up the vast majority of provision, remains good. Teachers plan and teach exciting and stimulating lessons that enthuse learners, who participate and learn well. Learners who have previously had disrupted and/or poor learning now join in their lessons eagerly and make good progress.  On apprenticeship programmes, which make up a small minority of provision, teaching, learning and assessment have not improved since the previous inspection and require improvement.  Learners enjoy their studies and develop their independent learning skills, researching and recording information well. Teachers frequently set homework to extend learning; learners work hard to correct promptly any mistakes that teachers identify.  Well-qualified teachers use their skills very effectively to instil in learners a passion for learning. Teachers ensure that learners develop the self-confidence to try learning tasks

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

and activities even when learners feel they may fail.  Teachers provide good individual help to adult learners during group activities, and make effective use of questioning to probe and check learning. Teachers frequently use examples of learners’ work to reinforce their good skills development, for example when reinforcing grammatical concepts. Learners work well together, knowing that each will have the opportunity to check their own learning with their teacher.  Adult learners who need extra assistance with their learning receive effective in-class help to ensure that they make good progress in lessons. Teaching assistants and teachers work well together, planning teaching, learning and assessment carefully to ensure that all learners are able to participate fully. Well-structured tasks and activities enable learners of all abilities to take an active part in learning.  Teachers help learners and apprentices to develop their verbal and written English skills

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

very well. Most produce written work to a high standard. Teachers encourage learners and apprentices to discuss and debate a wide range of issues. These range from current affairs, for example the clean air campaign for London, to topics of interest within their local communities. As a result, learners develop their speaking and listening skills very effectively.  Managers, trainer–assessors and teachers have created successfully a harmonious learning environment where learners and apprentices from a wide range of diverse backgrounds and cultures collaborate well in their learning. All staff demonstrate mutual tolerance and respect, and learners adopt these values readily.  Teaching, learning and assessment on apprenticeship programmes are not yet good. Trainer–assessors do not provide the help that apprentices need to succeed in their studies. They do not plan assessments well enough to enable apprentices to complete

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

their qualifications in the planned time, or make good use of apprentices’ prior knowledge and experience to plan assessments that are suitably demanding.  Teachers review and assess the progress of adult learners very effectively, and identify quickly when learners fall behind in their learning. They make good use of the monthly monitoring meetings with learners to track their learning, swiftly putting in place extra help when required. Trainer–assessors visit apprentices frequently but do not plan assessment opportunities effectively enough to take advantage of the everyday tasks and activities apprentices perform in the workplace.  Staff who provide course information for adult learners are adept in ensuring that learners are on the correct programme of study to develop further their skills and knowledge. They expertly tease out the knowledge learners have gained from their previous life experiences. Staff do not use this information effectively to inform learners of the

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

opportunities available to them or help them to plan their next steps towards employment, volunteering and training.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

 Learners acquire effective skills that prepare them well for future employment, such as learning how to write professional case notes on the progress of their clients, and how to prepare effectively for a job interview.  Learners improve their confidence and develop high levels of self-esteem because of their studies. Learners speak enthusiastically about how they feel able to speak to their children’s teachers and care workers, and live more independent lives.  Apprentices at work and traineeship learners on work experience make an effective contribution to the high levels of customer service which employers expect and the efficient running of their business. For example, traineeship learners provide good technical help to improve the presentation and functionality of employers’ websites, and apprentices on early years programmes devise interesting and educational play activities in their nurseries.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

 Learners and apprentices are courteous and respectful of one another and those they meet at work. Attendance in lessons is high. Learners arrive for lessons promptly and make an active and enthusiastic contribution to classroom-based discussion and group activities.  Teachers and centre staff provide very effective help to learners and enable most to overcome the personal barriers they experience that would otherwise prevent them from continuing in learning. Financial help provided by MISDC towards learners’ travel and childcare costs is generous.  Most learners and apprentices improve their English and mathematical skills and put these skills to good use when at work. For example, apprentices working with clients who need extra help to live on their own help their clients to budget for their household expenditure and food shopping. Those working in residential care homes accurately dispense medication to those in their care and keep accurate medical records.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

 Learners and apprentices have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe at work, in centres and within their own communities. They understand how to report any concerns they may have to centre staff, trainer–assessors and managers.  Too few learners and apprentices receive effective careers advice and guidance. They do not have a clear view about how their training benefits them or know what their future career and training opportunities may be.

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Outcomes for learners Requires improvement

 At the time of the previous inspection, not enough apprentices completed their qualifications in health and social care and early years. The proportion of apprentices who now complete their qualification in the time planned is still very low. Too few apprentices complete their qualification and too many make slow progress in their learning.  Too few adult learners gain employment or continue into further training. Almost all of the very small proportion of learners on traineeship programmes fail to secure employment or an apprenticeship. Management information shows that most learners remain unemployed on completion of their studies. Managers do not analyse whether the programmes learners study help them in their next steps to employment or further training.  The vast majority of learners are adult learners; most complete their qualifications and achieve well. The proportion of learners who complete their studies in English and

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Outcomes for learners Requires improvement

mathematics is exceptionally high. Achievement is high in health and social care, information and communications technology (ICT), retail operations and business management vocational programmes.  Adult learners develop very good skills in English and mathematics. They use these new skills well and understand how to use them in their everyday lives. For example, in a lesson studying the weather, learners understood the meaning of idioms when the teacher referred to the heavy rain outside as raining ‘cats and dogs.’ Learners then used their mathematics skills to interpret the information and data from a weather thermometer while discussing suitable outdoor clothing to wear and enjoyed sharing their own suggested idioms.  Little difference exists between the proportions of the different groups of learners who complete their studies, and male learners achieve as well as females. The very small proportion of learners with a visual impairment, who are mobility impaired or with fragile

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Outcomes for learners Requires improvement

mental health do slightly less well than their peers, although their achievement remains high.

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Adult learning programmes Good

 Currently, 326 learners study on programmes that lead to qualifications from entry level to level 2. The majority of learners enrol on mathematics and English courses with the remaining enrolled on vocational qualifications in health and social care, business administration, ICT, teaching assistants and retail services.  Managers plan programmes carefully to meet the specific requirements of local unemployed learners from disadvantaged backgrounds. Managers work closely with employers in local health and social care and in retail settings to provide the vocational, English and mathematics skills they require to improve the effectiveness of their employees.  Teachers ensure that learners achieve a good standard of written and spoken English. They are careful to correct learners’ written work and assignments. Teachers help learners to improve their existing skills and knowledge by providing useful guidance and

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Adult learning programmes Good

appropriate feedback.  Learners on vocational programmes in health and social care and early years benefit from taking additional short qualifications, such as paediatric first aid, to help them gain employment. Learners practise compiling professional curriculum vitae and letters of introduction to potential employers. Most undertake useful work experience.  Teachers in vocational classes make good use of their subject knowledge to enrich learners’ understanding of how to keep themselves and those in their care safe. For example, in a lesson for teaching assistants the teacher highlighted the actions to take should a child in their care disclose information that suggested they were at risk of abuse.  Staff provide insufficient careers advice to learners. They do not make sufficiently clear to learners taking English and mathematics courses how the skills they are developing will benefit them in their current and future lives, or how these first steps into learning could

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Adult learning programmes Good

lead to volunteering, community work or a possible sustainable career.

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Apprenticeships Inadequate

 Currently, 90 apprentices are working towards completing qualifications at level 2 and 3 in health and social care and early years. The programmes they study meet the requirements for an apprenticeship qualification.  Current apprentices continue to make very slow progress in their learning. Too few apprentices have completed the range of tasks and activities required to acquire the skills and knowledge they need to finish their programme in the time planned. Trainer– assessors do not keep accurate records of apprentices’ progress to keep employers well informed. Too few employers provide apprentices with sufficient time while at work to complete the knowledge-based element of their qualification with their work place mentors.  Trainer–assessors in health and social care do not ensure that apprentices benefit from frequent assessment of their learning. Trainer–assessors and employers do not jointly

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Apprenticeships Inadequate

review the progress apprentices in health and social care make towards developing the technical skills and knowledge they require to complete their learning. In addition, apprentices who speak English as an additional language often struggle to keep up with the demands of their studies. Apprentices in early years receive frequent assessment of their learning.  Apprentices do not understand the career routes potentially open to them or the employment options available when they complete their apprenticeship. Trainer–assessors rarely provide advice or information to apprentices while they are working towards their qualifications to help them make informed choices about their next steps.  Trainer–assessors do not use the information available to them about the skills and knowledge apprentices have at the start of their programme to ensure that learning relates well to their job roles or is suitably challenging. For example, apprentices are on

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Apprenticeships Inadequate

the same length of programme regardless of their prior vocational experience and their ability to undertake their job roles.  Most apprentices who stay on their course develop good vocational skills that enhance the businesses of their employers. Apprentices in health and social care treat their clients with dignity and respect. In early years, apprentices learn quickly how to manage the daily routines of young children in their care and help them to settle quickly into the nursery when their parents drop them off at the beginning of the day.  Apprentices feel safe when at work, and in the provider’s centres. Apprentices in health and social care know the importance of protecting personal information for those in their care. They know how vulnerable their clients are to those who may seek to take advantage of their fragility. In early years, apprentices understand well the security actions to take should the children in their care be at risk of harm.

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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 1,099

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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

- 153 - 133 - - - - 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+ 2 32 2 38 - 16 Number of traineeships 16–19 19+ Total 7 2 9 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 -

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Provider information at the time of the inspection

At the time of inspection, the provider contracts with the following main subcontractors: All Dimensions Mediprospects

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Information about this inspection

The managing director and head of quality, as nominee, assisted the inspection team. 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

Jules Steele, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Martin Bennett 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

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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

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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