Right Track Social Enterprise Limited

Right Track Social Enterprise Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Russ Henry, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

Unit 8 The Clock Tower Park Road Nottingham NG6 8TQ Monitoring visit: Right Track Social Enterprise Limited, 6-7 May 2021

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Context and focus of visit

From March 2019, Ofsted undertook to carry out monitoring visits to all newly directly funded providers of adult learning provision which began to be funded from August 2017 or after by the Education and Skills Funding Agency. This monitoring visit was undertaken as part of those arrangements and as outlined in the Further education and skills inspection handbook, especially the sections entitled ‘Monitoring visits’ and ‘Monitoring visits to providers that are newly directly publicly funded’. The focus of these visits is on the themes set out below.

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Context and focus of visit

Right Track Social Enterprise Limited (RTSE) provides short, intensive employability courses for adults who have been unemployed for some time. The courses provide training in personal employability skills and an introduction to customer service, team leading, and hospitality and catering. Due to pandemic restrictions, training is currently conducted online through a combination of live lessons and individual activities. At the time of the monitoring visit, the provider had fewer than five learners enrolled on courses.

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Context and focus of visit

The impact of COVID-19 (coronavirus) has been taken into account in the findings and progress judgements below.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have a clear rationale for providing employability courses. Courses are aimed at long-term unemployed learners who wish to find work. Most learners require guidance to help them to identify suitable job opportunities, make applications and acquit themselves well at interview. Managers have identified that local employers seek staff who have some occupational expertise. They have therefore developed short, intensive programmes that incorporate general training in personal employability skills and specific training in a small number of vocational subjects.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers work effectively with several partner organisations, including other training providers, a housing association, and the probation service. These partners identify suitable learners and refer them to RTSE. They find RTSE staff to be helpful and responsive. Partners also provide some input into the design of courses. For example, RTSE managers added a hospitality course to their portfolio following discussions with probation service staff. Monitoring visit: Right Track Social Enterprise Limited, 6-7 May 2021 During COVID-19 restrictions, managers have moved all training online. They have provided laptops and networking devices to learners. This has ensured that the most disadvantaged have been able to continue studying.

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Reasonable progress

Managers monitor what happens to all learners when they finish their courses. A reasonable proportion of learners progress to employment or further study. In most cases, RTSE staff continue to help former learners to find employment.

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Reasonable progress

Managers use basic, but appropriate, quality assurance and improvement processes that include lesson observations and team discussions. Lessons observation records are clear and focus on the themes most likely to affect learning.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors are appropriately qualified. They benefit from discussions about the results of lesson observations at team meetings. Managers use these discussions to plan future staff training. Managers also use team meetings to consider a range of other quality indicators and to plan improvements.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors plan the curriculum appropriately. They help learners to progressively develop a broad range of skills and knowledge. Learners begin by assessing their starting points and progress quickly onto researching job roles and practising interview skills. As a result, they develop a greater understanding of employers’ expectations and how to secure a job.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors focus training on the specific needs and aspirations of individual learners. They take great care to research the specific jobs that learners express an interest in, and prepare mock interviews and materials linked to them. For example, they prepare questions for learners who wish to be nursery assistants based on childcare principles and information about the specific setting to which learners want to apply. As a result, learners develop their understanding of how to prepare for and perform at an interview.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors quickly identify learners’ additional needs and provide extra help where appropriate. Learners work with their tutors to set themselves manageable short- term targets for what they want to achieve from the course.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors successfully use a range of methods to assess learners’ understanding of topics. These include oral questioning in lessons and learners’ completion of workbooks at the end of each day. Tutors provide specific and helpful feedback on Monitoring visit: Right Track Social Enterprise Limited, 6-7 May 2021 written work, clearly identifying any misconceptions. However, tutors do not do enough to revisit topics throughout courses to assess and reinforce learning.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors monitor learners’ progress closely and intervene effectively where they have concerns. Where necessary, they raise matters with managers who support them well to help learners to get back on track.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors help learners to improve their spelling and punctuation. They correct errors in learners’ work and, for example, discuss the correct use of homophones such as their and there. As a result, learners improve the standard of their writing and do not continue to make the same mistakes.

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Reasonable progress

Managers have developed clear safeguarding policies. Tutors understand them and know what to do if they have a concern. Where safeguarding concerns arise, staff record details carefully and take appropriate action. There is a suitable ‘Prevent’ duty policy, but the ‘Prevent’ action plan is not specific enough.

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Reasonable progress

The designated safeguarding lead has a very good understanding of his role. He has an excellent knowledge of safeguarding topics and the risks to local people. He shares his knowledge with staff through informal discussions and written bulletins that tutors read and understand.

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Reasonable progress

Managers conduct appropriate pre-employment checks on staff. New staff receive suitable training when they join the organisation, and this is updated at appropriate intervals.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors take time to get to know their learners. They introduce learners to safeguarding themes, such as online safety and the dangers of radicalisation. Learners feel confident to talk to tutors about any concerns they may have. Monitoring visit: Right Track Social Enterprise Limited, 6-7 May 2021 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 and child protection.

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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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