Hackney London Borough Council

Further education and skills inspection report

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Hackney London Borough Council Local authority

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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 Requires improvement

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Summary of key findings

 Learners make good progress on their courses and achieve their personal and learning goals. A high proportion of learners achieve qualifications in English, mathematics and information and communication technology (ICT).  Learners, many of whom experience social, emotional and health difficulties, benefit significantly from courses which reduce their isolation and dependency on other services.  Many learners build their skills well to prepare them for their next steps in their personal lives and for further learning and employment.  Learners who speak English as an additional language receive good advice and guidance to help them choose a suitable course; as a result they greatly improve their English skills, become increasingly independent and more likely to gain work.  Teachers use imaginative strategies in lessons which make learning enjoyable and ensure that learners participate enthusiastically and learn

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Summary of key findings

quickly.  Leaders and managers, including those at subcontracted partners, have high aspirations for learners. They create a nurturing and purposeful environment that supports learners well to take positive strides in their lives.  Leaders and managers work very effectively with subcontracted partners to provide value for money and to achieve their mission to provide education to residents who experience disadvantage.  Leaders and managers have tackled effectively the areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection. Learners now achieve well and the quality of teaching, learning and assessment has improved.  Too many learners are late for their classes and tutors do not put enough emphasis on the importance of being on time.  Tutors on a few non-accredited courses do not work closely enough with learners to help them develop skills that will be useful for employment, such as the mathematics that

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Summary of key findings

they need.  Managers have not developed sufficiently their strategies to encourage more males into learning.

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Information about the provider

 Hackney London Borough Council provides adult learning provision through the Hackney Learning Trust (HLT), a division of the council. Approximately three quarters of the provision is aimed at engaging learners from the most deprived communities to take their first steps into learning. These courses do not lead to qualifications. The remainder of provision includes courses that lead to qualifications, mostly in English, mathematics, ICT, English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) and family learning. HLT works with 23 subcontractors who deliver approximately two thirds of the provision with around a third delivered by HLT.  Hackney is the eleventh most deprived borough in England. It is a culturally diverse borough, with a high proportion of migrants to the area who speak English as an additional language. The proportion of residents who have no qualifications is higher than in London overall and the proportion claiming out-of-work benefits is above the London

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Information about the provider

and UK averages. Hackney has the tenth highest number of homeless people in the UK.

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

 Leaders and managers should design and implement strategies to: – ensure that learners attend on time so that they maximise the opportunity to learn and develop the skills they need for employment – increase the proportion of males who participate in learning – ensure that all tutors teaching courses that do not lead to a qualification support learners to develop the skills they will need for future work, such as in mathematics.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Leaders and managers have a clear and well-understood vision for the service. They are successful in achieving the aim of engaging individuals from deprived communities to take their first steps towards community involvement, personal development, learning and employment. A high proportion of learners are new to learning each year. Managers successfully engage specific groups such as those from the orthodox Jewish community and those with mental health needs.  Leaders and managers ensure that learners achieve well and that the quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good. This is a significant improvement since the previous inspection 18 months ago. Leaders and managers have maintained the strengths identified at the previous inspection, such as in partnership work and support for learners experiencing problems with their mental health.  Managers target improvement activities well because their own assessment of the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

performance of the service is accurate. They draw effectively on external expertise to support improvements, such as working with other providers of adult education to moderate their own assessment and support the improvements needed.  Performance management arrangements are effective. Managers’ observations of teaching, learning and assessment are accurate. They use information from observations well to inform the staff training programme. This helps tutors develop their skills and ensures that the quality of teaching improves.  The management of subcontractors is effective. Managers use a wide range of data and information to monitor the quality of provision in subcontracted partners. They use this information to provide effective challenge to partners to improve their performance. For example, following a review of their provision, one small provider visited the job centre to try to engage male learners better and increase their participation.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Leaders, managers and partners know the communities of the borough well. They use information and knowledge of the local employment needs to develop the curriculum effectively. Partners talk to learners about their aspirations and consequently develop new courses, such as how to start a business online. Working with local health professionals, managers develop courses that help reduce residents’ dependency on medical services.  Leaders and managers respond well to the needs of employers in developing the curriculum. Working with a local hospital, managers plan courses for nurses recruited from overseas who speak English as an additional language. This helps them improve their spoken English, which is an essential skill for their work.  Managers work with local partners and use their excellent understanding of local needs to develop a specialist assessment and advice service to engage residents who speak English

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

as an additional language. Staff hold sessions at community venues in areas of high need and at times that suit local people. As a result, a good proportion of those attending advice sessions go on to join classes to help improve their English skills.  Managers’ work with partners ensures that the service provides good value for money. For example, by working in partnership with the local college, learners have access to good-quality facilities for vehicle maintenance. Partnerships with community providers increase access for target groups, such as those residents with poor mental health. Through children’s centres, the availability of crèche facilities enables parents to access learning more easily.  While managers effectively target provision in areas of high needs and at particular groups in the community, managers have no overarching strategy to increase the number of males taking up learning opportunities. As a result, their participation in learning is low.

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The governance of the provider

 Governance arrangements provide clear accountability for managers for the performance of the service. Senior leaders provide effective scrutiny of the service and challenge managers effectively to improve.  Increasingly, managers work closely with other areas of the local authority to develop the strategic direction of the service in light of the broader skills and employment needs of the area.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  The safeguarding team has a good understanding of local safeguarding trends, such as domestic violence, and use this information well to train and equip staff to safeguard learners.  Managers and staff take effective action where they have concerns about the welfare of learners. They intervene quickly and refer cases appropriately to other specialist agencies and support services.  Managers undertake all the necessary pre-employment checks to ensure that staff are suitable to work with learners.  Learning takes place in safe environments. Learners feel safe and know whom to turn to, should they be concerned about their own or others’ welfare.  Managers take action to promote British values to learners. However, the strategy to ensure that learners are aware of the dangers of radicalisation and extremism is not sufficiently well developed.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teaching, learning and assessment support adult learners well so that they make good progress and gain new technical and personal skills. Teaching, learning and assessment are particularly effective in ESOL, English, mathematics and ICT.  Tutors have high expectations of what learners can achieve. They deliver challenging and exciting activities which motivate and engage learners very well. For example, ESOL learners responded enthusiastically to photographs in preparation for a visit to the Natural History Museum. In an art class, learners were captivated when developing their portraiture skills by using an egg to paint faces.  Tutors are well qualified and knowledgeable in their subject areas. They provide a good balance of challenging learning activities and valuable individual support. Tutors use a rich variety of methods and resources, including learning technology, to keep learners active

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

and enthusiastic in lessons.  Tutors check learners’ progress regularly to ensure that they are learning to a high standard. For example, one ESOL tutor used a lively discussion on the life of political activist Claudia Jones and her connection with London to monitor learners’ application of their new English skills.  Tutors challenge and advise learners effectively when they become stuck or complete activities too quickly. On a computer course when one learner gave a correct answer about formulas on a spreadsheet, the tutor encouraged the learner to reflect further and expand their knowledge.  In the vast majority of classes, tutors take account of the often-differing needs and abilities of learners. For example, they set more challenging tasks for those that are more able. This ensures that learners gain as much as they can and develop confidence in their own ability.  Tutors successfully build learning about equality and diversity into their lessons. For

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

example, they generate discussions about well-known people from history that have challenged racism and sexual discrimination.  Tutors support all learners well to improve their English skills. Learners frequently speak, read and write English in lessons to expand their range of words and increase their confidence. For example, tutors ask learners to repeat key points to the class, such as in a pottery group where learners recalled the technical words relating to making and colouring pots.  Tutors’ use of initial assessment of learners’ abilities and knowledge leads to clear learning plans and goals relevant to learners. Tutors track learners’ progress effectively using a variety of methods, including observations of the skills they are developing. In English, learners benefit from short tests to measure their learning and to plan additional support.  Tutors give learners clear feedback on their written work. This means that learners know

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

how well they are progressing and what they need to do to improve.  In a small minority of courses, the targets that tutors set for learners do not sufficiently relate to the learning gaps identified at their initial assessment. In these instances tutors do not monitor the progress that learners make in a sufficiently detailed way. Consequently, they do not know which skills and knowledge learners have acquired and what more they need to do. In a few specialist subjects, such as pottery, soap-making and vehicle maintenance, tutors do not focus sufficiently on developing learners’ wider skills, such as those in mathematics.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

 The vast majority of learners make very good progress in gaining a wide range of skills in English, mathematics, and ICT and in developing their confidence and self-esteem.  Learners are highly enthusiastic, motivated and acquire new knowledge and skills that they apply in their daily lives. For example, in ICT classes learners develop their written English skills to enable them to improve their ability to search for work. Parents become more able and confident at helping their children complete homework.  Learners who speak English as an additional language improve their speaking, writing and reading skills exceedingly well. Learners value highly the new levels of self-sufficiency that their new English skills give them. For example, they are able to access important services, such as their doctor, independently, ask for directions and travel with more confidence on public transport.  Staff provide learners with valuable support to help them overcome personal

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

circumstances that act as barriers to learning. For example, learners who experience problems such as mental or physical ill-health receive good support and a few become less reliant on health services. They improve their well-being, including their physical fitness, through attending, for example, dance and gardening courses. They benefit from the therapeutic value of creative classes such as ceramics, music and painting.  Learners from a diverse range of backgrounds work together cooperatively in lessons. They support each other well and show high levels of respect for others who are from different backgrounds. Learners are proud of their achievements and celebrate their work at ‘show and tell’ sessions and at public events.  Learners develop good skills that improve their chances of employment. They gain confidence in speaking with others and working in a team. Less-confident learners receive encouragement to take risks in classes to develop their confidence. For example, in an

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

English class learners, encouraged by their peers, come to the front of the class to spell words on the whiteboard.  Staff provide effective initial advice and information to learners and effective assessment of the skills they have. These ensure that learners are on the right course for them. Staff provide effective careers guidance about possible next steps in education, training or employment and many learners progress to further learning.  Learners’ attendance is good. Most staff follow up non-attendance of learners effectively and provide support to address any factors affecting their attendance.  Learners, many of whom were not born in the United Kingdom, develop a good understanding of British values and how they can play a full role in British life. In many sessions, tutors use discussions, quizzes and current events well to further learners’ understanding of life in Britain today.  Too many learners arrive late to their class. While tutors work hard to help learners catch

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

up on missed work they do not reinforce the importance of attending classes on time.  When learners begin their course, their induction includes information about the dangers of radicalisation and extremism. However, tutors do not focus on this area enough and so a significant minority of learners do not have a sufficient understanding of how to protect themselves and others from the risks associated with radicalisation and extremism.

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Outcomes for learners Good

 Since the previous inspection, leaders and managers have successfully brought about improvements in the outcomes that learners achieve.  Most learners are on courses that do not lead to qualifications. These learners make good progress, overcome personal barriers to learning, such as ill-health, and achieve well. In 2016/17, over a quarter of learners identified that taking adult learning courses helped them get a job and around two thirds said that it helped them into further learning.  Those learners taking qualifications achieve well and managers ensure that the proportion of learners doing so increases each year.  Those who take entry-level, functional skills qualifications in English, mathematics and ICT achieve well and develop the skills they need to improve their employment prospects and help them in their daily lives. A high proportion of learners on ESOL programmes achieve their qualifications.

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Outcomes for learners Good

 Many learners build their skills and abilities well to prepare them for their next steps in their personal lives, such as in supporting their children’s education and progressing to further learning and employment.  There are no significant gaps in how well learners from different groups achieve. For example, learners from different ethnic groups and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities achieve as well as their peers.  In 2016/17 the proportion of learners achieving functional skills qualifications in English and mathematics at level 1 was low. Managers have put in place strategies, such as improved tracking of learners’ progress, to improve outcomes for these learners. It is too early to judge their impact.

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Provider details

Approximate number of all learners over the previous full contract year 3,311

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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

- 700 - - - - - - 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+ - - - - - - Number of traineeships 16–19 19+ Total - - - 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: New City College Mind In The City, Hackney And Waltham Forest Ltd Core Arts East London Advanced Technology Training African Community School

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the head of service, 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

Jon Bowman, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Pamela Wallace 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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