Bock Consultancy & Personnel Development

Further education and skills inspection report

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BOCK Consultancy & Personnel Development Limited Independent learning provider

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement Adult learning programmes Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement 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

 Directors do not methodically review, plan or record the improvements needed to ensure that the quality of education is consistently good.  Managers do not implement the changes needed to ensure that the quality of education provided is good.  Not enough learners complete their courses successfully in business, early years or care, because they do not have the necessary skills and knowledge to study at the level required.  Teachers do not challenge learners sufficiently to develop the skills they need to achieve to the best of their ability.  Learners whose first language is not English do not develop their speaking and writing skills sufficiently.  Too many learners, particularly on business programmes, do not attend training frequently enough.  No learners achieve grades higher than a pass on completion of their course.

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Summary of key findings

The provider has the following strengths

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Summary of key findings

 Leaders and managers ensure that the strong culture of care is evident in all aspects of their work, for example in engaging learners from disadvantaged backgrounds.  Learners benefit from effective careers advice and guidance. They become motivated and excited about their next steps and a high proportion progress to learning at a higher level.  Assessors have good subject knowledge and enthusiasm for their subject that ensure that learners engage well in lessons.  Lessons take place in a positive environment that helps learners become more confident and self-assured.  Staff work well with local employers and partners to ensure that learners develop the knowledge they need for their courses.

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Information about the provider

 BOCK Consultancy & Personnel Development Limited (BOCK) is a small independent learning provider based in south London. BOCK began delivering training directly funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency in 2015/16. Five staff including two directors and three assessors make up the team. BOCK delivers learning programmes at various locations across London. Adult learners use the advanced learning loan to fund their programme. BOCK has 34 learners currently following level 3 courses in business, early years and care. Programmes are for learners who are disadvantaged, with the aim of supporting them to attain their career goals.

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

 Increase the expertise of directors, so that they fully understand what to do to become a good provider.  Improve the use of data to inform staff of the improvements needed and to inform the self-assessment of the provision.  Use the self-assessment report to target the actions needed to make the required improvements.  Monitor systematically the effectiveness of actions to improve the provision.  Improve teaching, learning and assessment and the outcomes that learners achieve by ensuring that: – learners take courses that reflect their skills and abilities – assessors help learners to develop the skills and knowledge they need to achieve to their full potential and to enable them to study at a higher level – assessors help learners to develop their written and spoken English skills – learners fully understand what they are learning, before they move on to new topics.  Develop strategies to ensure that learners attend classes frequently.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Leaders and managers do not sufficiently evaluate all areas of performance, or identify all aspects of the provision that need to improve. Managers do not use their own evaluation of the provision as a sound footing on which they can target actions to make the improvements required.  Managers’ use of data to assess and review performance is underdeveloped. For example, managers have only recently had information on learners’ attendance, so that they can monitor it. Annual management reports do not include all the relevant data to help leaders and managers reflect on performance.  Until recently, leaders and managers have not had the capacity to ensure that the quality of provision is good. They have improved capacity by employing an additional member of staff and by introducing a more efficient e-learning platform. However, it is too early to judge the impact of these actions.  Managers have a sound oversight of the quality of teaching. Managers observe teaching

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

practice accurately, and identify strengths and areas for improvement correctly. However, they do not routinely follow up the actions they identify, to check if improvements have occurred.  Leaders and managers ensure that a strong culture of care is evident in all aspects of their work. Staff engage learners from disadvantaged communities and help them develop respect for each other and for those who are different from themselves. Working with a local charity helps staff to recruit learners who have experienced drug and alcohol problems.  Leaders and managers work hard to remove any barriers that learners may have to attending or completing their courses. For example, they deliver learning in local venues during the evenings and at weekends and use a bursary fund to pay for learners’ travel costs when they have to travel further afield.  Leaders work effectively with local employers and other partners to develop the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

curriculum. Staff work with employers to ensure that learners have the right duties at work, so that they can develop the knowledge they need for their courses.  Leaders and managers ensure that learners receive good information, advice and guidance throughout their studies. As a result, learners are clear about the implications for them of taking out a learner loan to fund their studies. A new month-long focus on careers advice helps learners to know how to write a curriculum vitae, develop their own business plan and consider their next steps in education.

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The governance of the provider

 Directors meet frequently to review the provision. This leads to improvements. For example, they now ensure that assessors are accountable for their performance. However, directors do not methodically review, plan or record the improvements needed to ensure that the quality of education is consistently good.  As a newly funded provider, directors have not fully understood what is required to ensure that the provision meets the standards required. Directors lack external challenge to help them develop the expertise they need to ensure high standards across the provision.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Leaders and managers ensure that learning takes place in safe environments. Learners know whom to go to, should they have concerns about their own or others’ welfare. Managers have fulfilled their obligations under the ‘Prevent’ duty. Staff are suitably trained and learners understand the dangers of radicalisation and extremism. On the few occasions when staff need to act to keep learners safe, they do so effectively. Leaders ensure that new staff undergo all relevant pre-employment checks to make sure that they are suitable to work with learners.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Managers do not always carefully consider the outcomes of the initial assessment of learners’ skills and knowledge when placing them on courses. Consequently, a few learners with low-level writing skills enrol on programmes that are too difficult for them. As a result, a minority of learners leave their courses before they have completed their studies.  Assessors do not teach learners the analytical and evaluative skills they need to achieve high grades. Therefore, learners who plan to study at degree level are underprepared for their next steps.  Assessors on the largest programme, business studies, do not challenge learners enough, so that they make good progress. While the large majority of learners who complete their course achieve a pass grade, none achieves grades at a higher level.  In a small minority of cases, assessors do not correct learners’ poorly structured sentences and spelling mistakes. As a result, learners do not improve their writing skills

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

sufficiently.  A small minority of learners do not understand spoken English sufficiently well to follow lessons. Not all assessors use English as the language of the classroom to help learners develop their skills. Consequently, these learners do not make the progress of which they are capable.  In business studies, assessors do not always check whether learners have grasped the meaning of key terms and concepts before they move on to a new exercise. As a result, a minority of learners do not understand fully what they are learning.  Learners enjoy their lessons. They work in a purposeful, respectful and relaxed environment. Assessors skilfully manage class discussions so that learners actively participate, listen to others and develop their own views on the topics taught.  Assessors are appropriately qualified. They have good subject knowledge and demonstrate enthusiasm for their subjects. This helps maintain learners’ interest in

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

lessons and ensures that learning is relevant to them. For example, in one lesson an assessor used the riots in France and the demise of a major retail store to illustrate the impact of the recession on citizens and companies.  Learners following programmes in early years and adult social care develop a good understanding of the theory, legislation and policy which underpin their sectors. As a result, those employed in these sectors improve their performance at work, and a few gain promotion to management roles.  Business studies learners develop their mathematical skills well in lessons and apply these to real work scenarios. For example, learners work out percentages, and can accurately calculate the growth of a company over a three-year period, while factoring in the rate of inflation.  Learners receive effective additional support when they need it. Learners who fall behind receive additional one-to-one support. Those with physical disabilities benefit from the

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

provision of assistive technology. This helps many learners to pass their courses.  Early years learners develop their understanding of equality and diversity and relate this well to their sector. For example, they consider children’s cultures and backgrounds in their settings, and develop their understanding of how equalities legislation relates to their sector.  Assessors promote British values effectively in lessons. Learners debate challenging issues such as the dangers of stereotyping. They complete units that give them a good understanding of the importance of being tolerant of people’s differences.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

 Too many learners, particularly on business programmes, do not attend training frequently enough. Leaders now monitor learners’ attendance and follow up absence systematically. However, it is too early to judge the impact on improving their attendance.  A small minority of learners on business programmes for whom English is not their first language do not develop their English language skills sufficiently so that they can communicate professionally with customers, colleagues and suppliers.  Managers and assessors ensure that lessons take place in a positive environment that helps learners become more confident and self-assured. Learners behave well and understand what they should do. They reflect on what they have learned, assess their own progress, and develop their study and research skills effectively.  Learners are punctual to their lessons and arrive ready to learn. Learners work cooperatively in group sessions and enjoy sharing their different views. They provide

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

feedback to each other in a sensitive and constructive manner and listen to each other well. Learners are respectful towards each other and staff.  Learners benefit from effective careers advice and guidance. They become motivated and excited about their next steps. Staff help those learners who aspire to start their own businesses to understand the opportunities and challenges of self-employment. For example, business learners calculate the impact of a recession on business, develop a better appreciation of how to write a business plan, apply for start-up loans and know how to set themselves up as sole traders.  Many learners gain the technical skills and knowledge that employers require. Learners become more confident to take on more responsibility at work. For example, learners working in adult care gain the confidence and ability to support clients who are dependent on drugs or alcohol. They learn how to engage and communicate with clients

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

so that they can help improve their lives.  Learners develop a good understanding of how to promote the safety of clients in the workplace. Those on childcare programmes gain confidence in how to prevent children bullying each other. Learners on adult care programmes learn how to report safeguarding concerns and follow the correct procedures at work.

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Outcomes for learners Requires improvement

 Too few learners complete their course successfully compared with learners in similar providers.  In the last few years, too many learners leave their course early. The large majority of learners who complete their courses achieve a pass, but no learners achieve grades higher than a pass.  The achievement of different groups of learners varies, but managers do not use data well enough to inform their development of strategies to reduce these achievement gaps.  The standards of learners’ work meet the requirements of courses.  Given the number of learners who have poor experiences of education or qualifications gained overseas, the large majority make reasonable progress in their studies.  A high proportion of learners move on to study at a higher level once they complete their courses.

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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 CEO Bola Iwenofu

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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

- - - - - 34 - - 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: -

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the director, 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

Jon Bowman, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Marinette Bazin 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

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk

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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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