Dhunay Corporation Ltd

Further education and skills inspection report

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Dhunay Corporation Ltd Independent learning provider

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

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Apprenticeships Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Outcomes for learners Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Summary of key findings

This is a provider that requires improvement

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Summary of key findings

 The quality of apprenticeship programmes in cleaning and environmental support services requires improvement. Too many apprentices on this framework make slow progress.  The support and challenge of senior leaders and managers by governors is insufficient. Governors do not receive enough information to give them an accurate oversight of the quality of provision.  Leaders and managers do not have strong systems in place to manage staff performance. They do not act quickly enough to improve the teaching and assessment practice on apprenticeship programmes.  The tracking and recording of how many adult learners gain sustained jobs in security services, team leading and customer services require improvement.  Staff, learning mentors and assessors do not check the prior skills and knowledge of learners and apprentices in enough detail. They do not plan and teach sessions that build on these skills to challenge all apprentices and learners.

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Summary of key findings

 Leaders and managers do not have a clear plan to improve learners’ and apprentices’ English and mathematical skills. They do not ensure that staff have the appropriate competence to support learners and apprentices effectively.  Learning mentors and assessors do not give learners and apprentices sufficiently detailed and helpful feedback on their work.  Assessors do not set apprentices meaningful targets that help them understand what vocational skills they need to develop.

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Summary of key findings

The provider has the following strengths

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Summary of key findings

 Adult learners on pre-employment courses in providing security services and team leading make very good progress and achieve their qualifications.  Leaders and managers create a highly inclusive learning environment in which learners and apprentices feel extremely welcome and self- confident.  Leaders and managers develop very effective partnerships with their employers, which help learners and apprentices develop good work- related skills.  Learners’ and apprentices’ behaviour is very good. They have good attitudes to learning and show high levels of respect to their peers and staff.

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Information about the provider

 Dhunay Corporation Ltd (Dhunay), established in 2008, is an independent training provider based in central Ealing, West London. Dhunay offers pre-employment adult learning programmes and traineeships in providing security services, team leading and customer services. They also offer apprenticeship frameworks at level 2 in cleaning and environmental support services and providing security services. Originally a subcontractor, Dhunay gained its own funded contracts in 2016. This is Dhunay’s first Ofsted inspection.  Dhunay offers training at its centre in Ealing and at its employers’ premises. At the time of the inspection, 48 apprentices were on programme, the majority on cleaning and environmental support services. Around 40 adult learners had just completed programmes in team leading and providing security services, and seven new adult learners had recently started on providing security services. There were no trainees on

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Information about the provider

programme at the time of the inspection.

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

 Leaders and managers must improve the quality of the apprenticeship programme to ensure that apprentices make good progress and achieve their qualifications by: – implementing intervention plans for apprentices who make slow progress – supporting assessors to improve their vocational knowledge in cleaning and environmental support services.  Improve governance arrangements so that governors challenge leaders and managers strongly and hold them to account for all aspects of the provision.  Implement performance management procedures, with specific performance targets, that enable leaders and managers to support and challenge staff to improve their teaching, learning and assessment practice.  Leaders should monitor and evaluate thoroughly the destinations of adults leaving their programmes, so that they secure a fuller understanding of the impact of the provision.  Learning mentors and assessors should review the procedures they use to assess the

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

prior skills and knowledge of learners and apprentices. They should design work that will enable all learners and apprentices to make good progress.  Leaders must quickly upskill learning mentors and assessors so that they are competent and confident to ensure that learners and apprentices improve their English and mathematical skills beyond the levels required for their functional skills qualifications.  Managers should support learning mentors and assessors to improve the quality and detail of the feedback they give to learners and apprentices and ensure that they set suitably ambitious targets that enable apprentices to develop their vocational skills and understanding.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Performance management of staff is not effective enough. The support leaders and managers give to staff to improve their practice and performance to ensure that all learners and apprentices have access to good teaching, learning and assessment and make good progress is insufficient. As a result, the quality of programmes for adult learners and apprentices is inconsistent.  Leaders and managers do not accurately assess the quality of programmes through effective evaluation. The actions identified in the quality improvement plan lack focus on improving the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and outcomes for learners. Leaders have recently restructured the team to address these issues, but the impact is not yet evident.  Leaders and managers do not have a clear plan in place to develop learners’ and apprentices’ skills in English and mathematics beyond their functional skills qualifications.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

Leaders have identified that the majority of learning mentors and assessors do not have the appropriate level of skill in these areas to support learners and apprentices well enough. However, they have been too slow to arrange training to upskill these staff.  The majority of managers, learning mentors and assessors have good knowledge and up- to-date experience in the vocational areas in which they support learners and apprentices. Leaders ensure that staff attend professional development in their vocational area. However, leaders do not focus training for staff sufficiently on the areas identified during learning observations to improve teaching and assessment practice. As a result, the apprentices on environmental cleaning frameworks experience ineffective teaching and assessment and consequently they make slow progress.  The learning environment that leaders, managers and staff have created encourages

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

learners and apprentices to be themselves and develop their confidence. Leaders have invested heavily in the training centre and in the resources. They have created an atmosphere in which learners and apprentices feel as if they are ‘part of a family’.  Leaders and managers have successfully developed an appropriate curriculum in security services, team leading and cleaning services which meets the needs of the small number of employers with whom they work. Employers rightly recognise that the pre-employment programmes develop the appropriate work-related skills that they need for future employees.  Leaders, managers and staff promote equality of opportunity sufficiently and raise the awareness of cultural diversity effectively with learners and apprentices. For example, apprentices on providing security services frameworks have the confidence to challenge derogative comments made on construction sites. Adult learners discuss openly their

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The governance of the provider

 Governors do not provide sufficient challenge to senior leaders. They have not focused enough on the improvements needed to ensure that the quality of teaching, learning and assessment is consistently good in the adult learning and the apprenticeship programmes.  Governors do not set key performance targets for senior leaders and managers. They do not receive appropriate reports that enable them to have an accurate oversight of the quality of provision. Leaders have recently strengthened the board of governors and implemented a governance structure. However, it is too early to see the impact of this.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Senior leaders and managers have ensured that effective policies, procedures and checks are in place which cover all aspects of safe practice concerning learners. The designated safeguarding lead deals promptly and effectively with any safeguarding referrals.  All staff have completed safeguarding and ‘Prevent’ duty training. Managers work closely with the police and local counter-terrorism teams to identify specific risks in the area, such as from European far-right groups. However, they need to do more to ensure that all learners and apprentices are aware of this information.  Learners and apprentices feel safe at work and when attending their training sessions. They know about, and adhere well to, the health and safety requirements in the workplace. Relationships with employers are strong. Staff liaise effectively with them to ensure that learners and apprentices are safe.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 The variation in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment between the apprenticeship programme and the adult learning programme is too great. Adult learners benefit from learning mentors who have good vocational knowledge and experience. Too many apprentices, particularly in cleaning and environmental support services, make slow progress because of ineffective teaching, slow assessment practice and inexperienced assessors.  Learning mentors and assessors do not check thoroughly the skills and knowledge learners and apprentices have before they start their learning programme. As a result, learners and apprentices work on the same activities, which are not matched well enough to individuals’ skills or capabilities. Learning mentors and assessors do not have a clear view about which learners could make more rapid progress.  Assessors do not provide apprentices with good-quality feedback on their work and on the

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

progress that they make. Written feedback is often difficult to read and is unhelpful in supporting apprentices to improve the standard of their work. Assessors do not set targets that help apprentices understand what vocational skills development they need to work on and how they can achieve success.  Learning mentors and assessors give learners and apprentices good support to improve their verbal communication and listening skills. However, they do not support learners and apprentices well enough to improve their writing skills, identify their own mistakes or spell key words correctly. Apprentices’ written work contains too many uncorrected errors, and they have few opportunities to improve their writing in resubmitted work.  On adult learning courses in providing security services and team leading, learning mentors use their extensive knowledge and experience of these areas to plan and teach lively and interactive sessions skilfully. In these sessions, they use questioning and

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

coaching very effectively to develop quickly adult learners’ knowledge. For example, on day two of the course, learners know how to identify examples of good and poor customer service, and the impact that these have on organisations and people.  Adult learners have access to, and benefit from, a variety of good-quality learning resources. They use the information technology tablets provided appropriately to research topics and support the development of their information and communication technology skills. Learning mentors use professional presentations and workbooks to support their learners’ development. However, this is not the case for apprentices, and their access to these resources requires improvement.  Managers and staff support apprentices with very low-level English and mathematical skills sufficiently to prepare them for their functional skills qualifications. They have recently provided additional learning support in the form of a dedicated tutor. Apprentices

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

feel that this has enabled them to take their examinations sooner than expected. Learners and apprentices rightly value highly the good individual personal support they receive from helpful staff.  The majority of learners and apprentices enjoy their learning, engage fully in activities and discussions and show mutual respect for each other’s culture and beliefs. Adult learning mentors encourage learners to discuss the impact of fundamental British values on their own lives. Apprentices develop their understanding of equality and diversity during their one-to-one meetings with their assessors. For example, they discussed gender issues that had recently been in the news.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

 Learners and apprentices show particularly good attitudes to their learning. They value highly the good support they receive from staff and many enthuse about how their lives have changed because of attending courses at Dhunay. They develop quickly the expected behaviours needed in the sectors in which they learn. For example, they develop good teamworking and communication skills.  Learners and apprentices are supported effectively to gain extra skills and knowledge beyond those required for their qualifications. For example, the majority of adult learners and a minority of apprentices complete workbooks and courses on improvised explosive devices, the use of handcuffs, physical intervention and first aid. The majority of learners and apprentices on providing security services courses gain the security industry authority licence.  On the adult learning programmes, training mentors quickly increase learners’ confidence

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

and give them very helpful support and advice to overcome their barriers to work. For example, learners get good support with writing their curriculum vitae and application forms for jobs. Learners increase their skills in working collaboratively and in their ability to express their points of view.  Apprentices, learners and employers value highly the opportunity to celebrate success through the recent awards ceremony hosted by Dhunay. Learners and apprentices take great pride in their achievements and work. The recent ‘Apprentice of the Year’ reported that it was her ‘proudest day’ to gain the award. Employers feel proud to see how their apprentices and learners have progressed since they started learning and working.  Learning mentors give adult learners good information and careers advice throughout their programme. Learners have a thorough understanding of the careers available to them after completing their course and beyond. For example, many learners aspire to

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

move into events management and close protection security.  Learners’ and apprentices’ attendance at training sessions is good. They arrive on time, prepared to learn and show respect to their learning mentors, assessors and peers. However, a minority of apprentices often cancel their one-to-one sessions with their assessor. Managers do not evaluate trends and reasons for this low attendance. As a result, they fail to realise quickly enough when apprentices miss sessions. It is unclear how apprentices will catch up on what they miss.  Learners and apprentices feel safe at work and in their learning. They know whom to contact if they have concerns.  Learning mentors and assessors do not use the information they have about learners’ and apprentices’ prior skills and knowledge in mathematics to target specific support in this area. As a result, on occasions learners and apprentices do not use the appropriate

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

mathematics in relation to their subject of study.  Staff and assessors do not give all their apprentices detailed information, advice and guidance at the start of their programme. As a result, a minority of apprentices on the environmental cleaning apprenticeship do not fully understand the reason for being on the programme or know what substantial new skills and knowledge they should develop.

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Outcomes for learners Requires improvement

 The majority of apprentices currently on cleaning and environmental support services frameworks make slow progress. A minority of apprentices on providing security services frameworks also make slow progress.  Managers and staff do not track apprentices’ progress sufficiently to enable them to gain an accurate view of it. As a result, they have been too slow to identify when apprentices fall behind.  Leaders and managers do not have a good enough understanding of how many adult learners gain and sustain employment related to their courses. Employers recruit learners from the pre-employment programmes, but it is unclear how many remain in employment after their probationary period.  In 2017/18, provider data shows that the majority of adult learners and apprentices completed and achieved their qualifications within the planned time. The majority of learners on traineeship programmes achieved their qualifications and a large proportion

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Outcomes for learners Requires improvement

achieved functional skills qualifications in English and mathematics.  Almost all apprentices remain with their current employer at the end of their programme. A small number of apprentices progress into management positions and take on extra responsibilities.  Managers check the achievement between different groups of learners sufficiently. The gaps in achievement between different groups are insignificant.  Adult learners produce work of a very high standard. The majority of apprentices’ work meets the minimum requirements for the qualification. However, the small amount of work completed by apprentices on cleaning and environmental services frameworks requires improvement.

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Adult learning programmes Good

 At the time of inspection, 40 adult learners had just completed short courses in team leading and providing security services at level 2 and were awaiting their results. A new providing security services course, consisting of seven adult learners, started during the week of the inspection.  Managers and staff plan and design effective short programmes to support learners to gain the knowledge and skills they need to be successful in the security sector. They work very closely with a small group of employers to tailor the programmes to meet each employer’s specific needs.  Employers attend sessions frequently and support learners by giving them advice and guidance on what they expect when they recruit staff. As a result, many learners secure jobs with these employers.  Learning mentors support learners very effectively to develop personal, social and work- related skills that prepare them well for their intended job role, career aims and/or

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Adult learning programmes Good

personal goals. Learners quickly overcome their barriers to work, such as low self-esteem and confidence, and staff support them very well.  Learners enjoy their learning, concentrate well in lessons and work very well together in groups. They make good progress in developing their knowledge and understanding in relation to customer service, team leading and the security industry.

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Apprenticeships Requires improvement

 At the time of inspection, 33 apprentices were on cleaning and environmental support services frameworks at level 2, and 15 were on providing security services at level 2. Dhunay works with just two employers to support these programmes.  Leaders and managers ensure that they meet the principles and requirements of the apprenticeship programme for most apprentices. However, for a minority of apprentices, who have many years of experience in the cleaning and security sector, the programme is inappropriate. Apprentices do not understand why they are on an apprenticeship programme.  Managers and assessors do not ensure that apprentices on the cleaning and environmental support services framework start their off-the-job training promptly when they begin their apprenticeship. They focus their attention on supporting apprentices to achieve their functional skills qualifications first. Staff supporting the teaching and

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Apprenticeships Requires improvement

assessment of this framework lack adequate vocational knowledge and experience in this area. As a result, the majority of these apprentices make slow progress in developing the skills and knowledge they need to achieve their qualification.  Staff and assessors develop good, positive relationships with their employers. Employers support the programme sufficiently and commit to apprentices attending off-the-job training. This includes training days, online learning, mentoring and shadowing at work.  Assessors support apprentices on providing security services frameworks very effectively to develop the skills needed to progress in their job roles. For example, apprentices learn how to complete the bespoke scheduling system for construction sites and develop a strong understanding of health and safety matters.  Apprentices have a good awareness of how to keep themselves safe at work. On a day- to-day basis, apprentices on providing security services frameworks protect the lives and

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Apprenticeships Requires improvement

welfare of others. Apprentices on cleaning and environmental support services frameworks have the confidence to manage and report potentially challenging and unsafe situations.

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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 Dev Dhunay

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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

- - - 47 - - - - 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+ - 45 - - - - 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: -

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the chief executive officer as nominee. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans. 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

Jane Hughes, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrea Dill-Russell Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sara Hunter 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

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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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