New London Educational Trust

Further education and skills inspection report

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New London Educational Trust Independent Training Provider

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

 Trustees do not receive comprehensive enough information about the quality and standards of provision to hold leaders and managers to account.  Tutors do not provide good enough feedback to learners on their work, so that they know how to improve and achieve high grades.  Learners and apprentices do not have a sufficient understanding of how the risks of radicalisation or extremism relate to them and their workplace settings.  In health and social care, learners’ research into the topics taught lacks sufficient depth and the standard of their work is not high enough.  Leaders and managers are not thorough enough in their evaluation of the quality of provision and do not identify all the issues that require improvement.  Staff do not use information on learners’ prior educational attainment well enough to plan learning that meets their individual needs.  Tutors do not explain topics clearly enough to enable learners to gain an in-depth knowledge

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Summary of key findings

of the subjects taught, and do not check learners’ and apprentices’ knowledge and understanding well enough in lessons. As a result, too few learners achieve high grades.

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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 respond well to local community needs by providing highly relevant courses that take good account of local employment opportunities.  Leaders, managers and staff have high aspirations for learners and apprentices and focus well on providing training that links to individual career aspirations.  Learners on business and early years courses develop the skills, knowledge and behaviours they need to prepare themselves for employment.  Learners benefit from accessing a range of specialist support, such as financial assistance, and counselling, that help remove barriers to their learning.  Staff work effectively with local agencies to ensure that learners and apprentices receive good careers guidance.

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Information about the provider

 New London Educational Trust is a small independent learning provider based in Hounslow, west London. The provider opened in 2012 and since 2017 has offered courses for adult learners in health and social care and business. Since August 2018, the provider has also offered a small number of apprenticeships to about 70 apprentices, also in health and social care and business. The provider teaches lessons at venues in Croydon and Barking as well as Hounslow.  There are approximately 200 learners who study part time at level 3 while working. The vast majority of adult learners fund their studies through an adult learner loan and come from across London. At the time the inspection, the only cohorts of learners to have completed qualifications were on business studies programmes. No apprentices, or adult learners on health and social care, had yet competed their programmes.

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

 Senior leaders need to provide trustees with information on the quality of provision, in order that trustees can promote and support improvement in the quality of the provision.  Senior leaders should implement a rigorous system for bringing together, recording and critically evaluating a range of information, so that they can improve the quality of the training provision by setting specific, measurable performance indicators for the organisation.  Tutors need to make better use of information gained, prior to the start of the course, on learners’ and apprentices’ skills and experiences, to ensure that they teach lessons that meet their needs.  Tutors should provide feedback on learners’ and apprentices’ work that is specific enough for them to know what they need to do to improve.  Tutors need to provide more detailed and better explanations of topics taught and check that learners and apprentices understand topics prior to moving onto the next subject, so

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

that more learners and apprentices achieve high grades.  Leaders and managers should ensure that tutors consistently support learners and apprentices to improve their spoken and written English skills.  Staff should confirm that learners and apprentices have a more comprehensive understanding of the dangers posed by radicalisation and extremism.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because quality assurance arrangements are not fully effective. Leaders’ and managers’ evaluation of the quality of provision is not thorough enough. It does not provide an accurate evaluation of all aspects of the learners’ experience. As a result, learners’ and apprentices’ experiences at the provider are not yet consistently good.  Arrangements for observing the quality of lessons and training sessions do not provide leaders and managers with a good enough understanding of the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. During observations, staff focus too much on tutors’ performance and not enough on evaluating learning. As a result, tutors’ actions arising from observations do not improve the quality of teaching and learning.  Leaders and managers give a high priority to the development of learners’ and apprentices’ English and mathematical skills. However, they do not have a consistent

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

approach to supporting tutors to develop learners’ and apprentices’ skills. As a result, tutors develop English and mathematical skills well on business courses, but not on others.  Leaders and managers work well together in establishing high ambitions for the business. They use their accumulated expertise in education and training to create an organisational culture that is open, inclusive and committed to improving the provision.  Leaders have high expectations for learners and apprentices and communicate these effectively to staff, employers and other partners. Leaders and managers have consulted extensively with staff to establish a new and a well-considered strategy to provide high- quality training. However, this strategy lacks clear targets and performance measures. As a result, leaders and managers do not know whether their strategy is successful.  Leaders and managers have developed strong relationships with community partners to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

ensure that the curriculum meets the needs of the locality. Because of this, learners and apprentices, most of whom have multiple barriers to learning, receive good support to help them gain employment or further training.

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The governance of the provider

 Trustees have set a clear vision for the provider, with a strong focus on increasing participation by providing training and learning that meet the needs of the locality well.  Trustees have a wide range of appropriate skills and experience that they use effectively to provide leaders with well-considered strategic and commercial advice. As a result, learners and managers receive good support from trustees.  Leaders and managers receive appropriate challenge from the trustees and ask leaders to present additional information to ensure that trustees have a good understanding of the provision. However, although the board receives a range of pertinent information relating to the strategic and operational performance of the business, trustees do not receive comprehensive information about the quality and standards of provision.  Trustees have a good awareness of their own strengths and weaknesses and where they

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The governance of the provider

need to improve governance and oversight. As a result, they have recently appointed new trustees to strengthen and expand the board’s expertise and membership.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Learners and apprentices feel safe and have a sound awareness of what to do if they need to report any concerns.  Leaders and managers have ensured that suitable safeguarding policies and procedures are in place and that staff adhere to them. Leaders and managers make appropriate checks on potential employees, prior to them commencing their roles. They keep a detailed central record of all staff.  The designated safeguarding officer, directors, managers and staff receive appropriate training in the prevention of extremism. However, tutors have yet to develop learners’ and apprentices’ thorough understanding of these themes, by embedding them into their teaching, learning and assessment activities.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Tutors do not plan lessons to meet the needs of learners well enough. The more able learners receive insufficient challenge to extend their knowledge, whereas those learners who are less able often fall behind. A consequence is that business learners do not achieve beyond a pass level, even if they may be capable of doing so.  Too often, tutors do not explain topics sufficiently well for the level of the course and explanations are unclear. They do not check learners’ understanding well enough during lessons and do not know whether learners have understood the topic before moving onto the next subject. As a result, learners do not develop the knowledge needed to complete tasks beyond the basic requirements of the qualifications.  In health and social care, tutors do not ensure that learners apply what they have studied well enough to a work context. For example, too many learners have failed to develop the

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

understanding of how relevant legislation will have an impact on their role in care settings. While learners are able to identify basic health and safety practice, they are not able to apply their knowledge to devise care plans for clients with complex and diverse needs.  Tutors do not assess learners frequently enough and learners often have to wait too long for feedback on their assessed work. For example, learners on health and social care who are almost at the end of their course have received insufficient feedback on their work. As a result, learners do not know if they meet the standards required to complete their course successfully, and what they need to do to improve.  Health and social care learners and apprentices do not receive sufficient support to develop good research skills. As a result, their work is often of a low standard.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Tutors do not provide learners and apprentices with enough guidance on how to improve the standard of their spoken and written English. Managers have organised training to help staff rectify learners’ weaknesses in spelling, punctuation and grammar in written work, but this has not yet had an impact across the range of provision. As a result, learners and apprentices repeat the same errors in their written work.  The majority of learners are positive about their learning and understand well how this contributes to their future career goals.  In early years education, tutors provide learners with frequent feedback on their progress. Learners benefit from using good learning resources. These resources help them to manage potential conflicts with parents and have improved their interactions with babies. This contributes to learners growing in confidence and developing skills that will be useful in future employment.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Tutors provide learners on business study courses with detailed feedback on their work. This prepares learners and apprentices well to progress to further study or employment. As a result, learners know what they need to do to pass the qualification.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

 The standard of learners’ work in health and social care is not good enough. Learners’ work and subject knowledge are often of a basic level and below the level of the course. They do not have sufficient opportunities to apply and develop practical skills in the workplace. For example, they are unaware of how to identify and address the complex needs of a wide range of clients in care homes.  Attendance of adult learners requires improvement. Too many adult learners on business courses do not attend frequently and therefore miss learning. On health and social care courses, learners are not punctual and miss the start of lessons. This contributes to learners not making sufficient progress towards achieving their qualifications.  Apprentices and learners feel safe. Learners in business are very clear about the importance of personal safety and who to refer to if they have any concerns. Learners have a good understanding of personal safety in health and social care. For example, they

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

know how to protect themselves from cross contamination. They are aware of the importance of appropriate personal protective equipment. They know how to evacuate a building carefully in an emergency. Apprentices consider their own safety, and that of their peers, when they travel to and from the workplace at night.  Learners and apprentices do not understand well enough the risks associated with extremism and radicalisation and how to stay safe online. As a result, they do not know the impact these have on them and what to do when they have concerns.  Learners and apprentices receive effective information, advice, guidance and support. Leaders and managers work well with a good range of specialist educational partners and agencies to ensure that learners are on appropriate programmes and receive support during their studies. These include support for financial assistance and counselling, and support with mental health.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

 Learners in health and social care do not receive good enough information, prior to the start of the course, to ensure they enrol on appropriate levels of study. As a result, too many learners find their course too hard because they are not ready to study at level 3.  Tutors provide learners in business studies with effective individual support to help them meet the demands of assignments and achieve their qualification. As a result, the proportion of learners who achieve their qualification is high.  Learners who receive additional support from tutors for dyslexia are positive about the help they receive. This contributes to learners understanding the topics taught in lessons.  Learners and apprentices enjoy their studies and training. Learners are well behaved and motivated. They are keen to develop their skills and move on to their chosen destination. Learners on the business course develop their skills in finance and in creating a website,

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

in anticipation of their starting new businesses. Learners in health and social care become more confident in the use of newly learned terminology in their work in care homes.

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Outcomes for learners Requires improvement

 At the time of the time of the inspection, the only cohorts of learners to have completed their qualifications were in business studies. In 2017/18 all business studies learners who started a qualification achieved. However, not enough learners made good progress and none achieved above a pass grade.  In health and social care adult learning programmes, and on apprenticeships, not enough current learners make good progress relative to their prior attainment. While most learners are on track to achieve, tutors do not give learners in business enough support and guidance to achieve more than a pass grade.  The majority of learners’ work is of an appropriate standard for the level of course that they study, but is too variable across different subjects. Learners on early years education courses produce work of a good standard, which demonstrates their ability to apply theory and policy to their practice. This enables learners to plan an appropriate curriculum

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Outcomes for learners Requires improvement

based on a range of child development theories. As a result, learners make good progress towards their qualification.  The majority of learners need to achieve English and mathematical qualifications in order for them to be successful on their courses. However, the proportion of learners who achieve qualifications in functional skills English is too low and requires improvement.  Leaders and managers collect data on the destinations to which learners, who achieve their qualifications, progress. The provider’s own data shows that too few learners progress to employment or further study after their course.

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Adult learning programmes Requires improvement

 At the time of inspection there were approximately 200 learners on a range of level 3 business, health and social care and early years education courses.  Tutors are not helping learners on early years and health and social care courses to develop the skills and knowledge they need for the level of the course. As a result, leaners on these courses do not make rapid enough progress towards achieving their qualification.  Learners’ work is not consistently good enough. In health and social care, learners’ work is not of the standard expected for the level of the course. In business studies, the majority of learners’ work is of an appropriate standard to pass the qualification.  Leaders and managers work well with local community groups to ensure that the curriculum meets the needs of the local community and businesses, and provides learners with routes into employment.  Tutors support learners well to overcome any barriers to learning. Learners have access

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Adult learning programmes Requires improvement

to a range of external support agencies such as for financial assistance and counselling. As a result, learners develop their confidence to study and progress into employment.

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Apprenticeships Requires improvement

 At the time of inspection, there were approximately 70 apprentices on level 3 apprenticeships in business, health and social care and early years education. Almost all were on apprenticeship framework qualifications.  Leaders and managers do not monitor apprentices’ off-the-job training well enough. As a result, leaders and managers do not know whether apprentices receive their entitlement to training. When apprentices do receive off-the-job training, it is appropriate for the course they are on.  Too many apprentices do not receive timely support to develop their skills in English and mathematics. Teaching on functional skills qualifications in these subjects is not well- planned. As a result, apprentices do not develop the skills they need to progress within their apprenticeship.  Apprentices benefit from frequent reviews with tutors. However, in too many cases tutors’ targets which they set for apprentices focus on the completion of assignments and not

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Apprenticeships Requires improvement

the development of skills. Targets are too often not specific enough for apprentices to make good progress towards completing their qualification. As a result, apprentices make slow progress.  Employers benefit from the contribution that apprentices make to their businesses. Apprentices in business studies take on additional responsibilities within their organisations.  Leaders and managers work well with employers to ensure that the apprenticeship programme meets the needs of the employer and the individual. As a result, very few apprentices leave their course before the end.

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Provider details

Type of provider Independent training provider

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Provider details

Approximate number of all learners over the previous full contract year Principal/CEO Phil Davis

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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

- - - - - 213 - 4 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+ 3 15 21 23 - 8 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: None

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the director of operations, 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

Steve Lambert, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Graham Cunningham 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

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

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