Springboard

Springboard Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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Name of lead inspector: Jonny Wright, HMI

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

Unit 1-2 East Way Rivergreen Industrial Estate Sunderland SR4 6AD Monitoring visit: Springboard, 30-31 October 2019

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Context and focus of visit

Springboard was inspected in March 2019. At that time, inspectors judged the overall effectiveness of the provision to require improvement.

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Context and focus of visit

The focus of this monitoring visit was to evaluate the progress that leaders and managers have made in addressing the main areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection.

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Reasonable progress

Since the previous inspection, leaders and managers have identified accurately weaknesses in teaching and assessment. They have acted quickly to make improvements that are beginning to have an impact of the quality of the provision. They have worked closely with the staff team to redesign the study programme for learners. The changes to the study programme enable learners to build on their knowledge, skills and behaviours incrementally, at a pace suited to their needs. Consequently, fewer learners leave early and an increased proportion of learners complete their programmes successfully.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have provided tutors with helpful training on topics such as giving effective feedback to learners and using questioning techniques to check learners’ knowledge. Tutors have made positive changes to their practice, but leaders and managers recognise that further improvements are required.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have not considered sufficiently the impact of actions taken to improve the provision. They do not systematically check that progress in implementing actions to drive improvements is rapid enough. For example, they have yet to evaluate fully the recently revised process of determining learners’ starting points or how effectively tutors use the information about learners’ prior knowledge to plan the delivery of their courses.

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Reasonable progress

Since the last inspection, leaders and managers have improved the process for managing subcontractors. They have introduced and further developed a subcontractor management framework that focuses accurately on the performance Monitoring visit: Springboard, 30-31 October 2019 of subcontractors and the quality of the teaching that learners on study programmes receive.

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Reasonable progress

Recently, leaders and managers took the decision to reduce the number of subcontractors that they work with from ten to five. They decided to work with subcontractors that can offer high-quality specialised programmes that meet the needs of learners in the local area.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers set clear and challenging targets for subcontractors, including for the quality of programmes. Managers carry out frequent audits of subcontractors that accurately identify strengths and areas to improve. They set actions for improvement and closely monitor their implementation. When subcontractors do not make improvements quickly enough, managers provide helpful support.

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Reasonable progress

Subcontractor managers have a clear picture of their performance to date and what they need to do to make improvements to quality and performance. As a result of the recent improvements in the management of subcontractors, a higher proportion of learners on subcontractors’ study programmes have completed their courses and gained qualifications. Leaders and managers recognise that this needs to improve further.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have taken positive steps to ensure that learners are better informed about their possible career options on completion of their study programmes. For example, they have evaluated their careers advice and guidance against the Gatsby benchmarks and are making good progress in improving the provision of careers advice and guidance.

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Reasonable progress

Senior leaders have recently employed a suitably qualified careers adviser to complement the careers advice and guidance that learners receive from tutors. Managers work well with local agencies and employers to provide meaningful work placements and careers advice for learners.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors provide effective support and advice on future careers as part of the delivery of study programmes. For example, learners in warehousing consider how their skills, knowledge and behaviours align with job vacancies in the local area, and they develop CVs to support their job applications.

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Reasonable progress

A small minority of learners do not recall or have a good enough understanding of the careers and jobs available to them on completion of their study programmes. Monitoring visit: Springboard, 30-31 October 2019

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Reasonable progress

The large majority of tutors have made improvements since the previous inspection in how they collect and use information about learners’ starting points. They plan learning well, using the information available to them about learners’ starting points. As a result, most learners improve their knowledge and skills. The large majority of tutors use information from plenaries and learners’ reviews of their learning to encourage learners to make more rapid progress.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors use the information they have regarding learners’ starting points effectively in order to help learners to improve their personal and social skills. Learners benefit from a 12-week introductory course on study programmes. The course includes community projects, work experience, team work, talks from external speakers and tasters in vocational study programmes. Through this course, learners increase their confidence, become better prepared for subsequent learning, and are able to make informed choices about the remainder of their study programmes.

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Reasonable progress

A small minority of tutors do not routinely consider or use learners’ starting points to plan their delivery or sequence their learning. For example, in digital marketing, tutors allow learners to work through generic qualification units rather than design learning that builds on learners’ prior knowledge and understanding. Monitoring visit: Springboard, 30-31 October 2019 regulates and inspects to achieve 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

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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