Derbyshire Adult Community Education Service

Derbyshire Adult Community Education Service Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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Name of lead inspector: Helen Whelan, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Address:

Hunloke Centre Church Street South Chesterfield Derbyshire S40 2TF Monitoring visit: Derbyshire Adult Community Education Service, 7–8 July 2021

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Context and focus of visit

Derbyshire Adult Community Education Service was inspected in March 2020. 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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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 support tutors to improve their subject-specialist skills well. They provide tutors with a wide range of continuing professional development. They arrange standardisation meetings and set up subject-specific networks. This helps tutors maintain their subject knowledge. Managers make available a range of resources to develop tutors’ teaching skills. This includes a lesson observation and mentoring process. Resulting action plans are not always linked to the most pertinent issues that tutors need to address in their practice. Owing to the move to online teaching, much focus has been on digital tools to support learning rather than on core teaching skills. Managers have trained tutors in the key principles of effective feedback. Tutors should be more proactive in working with learners in lessons to improve the standard of their work. This includes helping them to write in full sentences and rectify simple

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Reasonable progress

spelling errors. Tutors create a relaxed, open atmosphere where learners support each other. Learners develop their communication and teamworking skills through tutors’ well- designed practical tasks. Learners have acquired some important practical skills on employability courses. They know how to apply for jobs, write a curriculum vitae and prepare for interviews. They feel more confident and better prepared for their next steps. Monitoring visit: Derbyshire Adult Community Education Service, 7–8 July 2021 Tutors’ planning of the curriculum lacks detail of what and how they will teach. There is considerable variation in the quality of education across sites and courses. On courses for 14–19 year-olds, tutors organise lessons based on assessment rather than on learning. Apprentices take part in well-organised reviews with tutors. These support apprentices to reflect on their experiences in work and the areas they need to

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Reasonable progress

develop. For example, teaching assistants discuss how they use phonics to support pupils’ reading. Tutors structure community learning courses well. They set learners individual projects based on their prior learning. Learners value the opportunities that courses give them to meet other adults with shared interests.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have taken a range of decisive actions to improve learners’ understanding of radicalisation and extremism. They have appointed tutors to work as champions to share good practice around the teaching of British values and the dangers of radicalisation and extremism. Managers provide relevant training and develop resources for tutors and learners. These include a bank of material linked to local issues. They invite in guest speakers to discuss topical issues. For example, local Members of Parliament give talks to learners during UK Parliament Week. Learners talk with some confidence about the dangers of radicalisation and extremism. They know how to keep themselves safe and how to spot the signs of radicalisation in others. Learners understand some of the issues that are prevalent in Derbyshire. In a small minority of cases, learners wrongly believe that extremism and radicalisation are confined to the city.

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Reasonable progress

Since the last inspection, governors, leaders and managers have made changes to the board’s membership. Several new governors bring specialisms to the board. These include the appointment of a lead governor on safeguarding who has significant experience in this area. This appointment is having a positive impact. Leaders have linked governors to each of the main areas for improvement identified at the last inspection. Governors provide effective support and challenge to leaders on their progress with these priorities. For example, leaders have improved safeguarding referral procedures following scrutiny by the link governor. The board members are knowledgeable about safeguarding practices and cases. They took a very active role in addressing the areas for improvement around the Monitoring visit: Derbyshire Adult Community Education Service, 7–8 July 2021 single central register after the last inspection. The board is currently in the process

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Reasonable progress

of appointing a new governor who has specialisms in the ‘Prevent’ duty. Leaders prioritise training and development for the board so that it can provide greater challenge. Presentations on the quality cycle and self-assessment process provide the board with useful insights. The board now meets half-termly. Meetings have useful set agendas and key topics, such as the quality improvement plan. This allows the board to see the progress that is being made in these areas. The board’s oversight could be developed further by leaders sharing routine updates on other important matters, such as learners’ attendance and the quality of teaching. This would help governors monitor leaders’ progress more comprehensively.

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Significant progress

Leaders have made swift progress to address the safeguarding concerns raised in the last inspection. Leaders ensure that staff undergo appropriate background checks to identify that they are suitable to work with apprentices and young learners. They follow their clear policy on safer recruitment. Accurate records are held centrally by the human resources team. Managers provide a wide range of effective training on safeguarding themes and the ‘Prevent’ duty. As a result, staff can spot early warning signs in their learners and apprentices, resulting in incident referrals linked to a range of issues, including domestic violence, mental health and gang culture. Learners and apprentices feel safe and they know whom to contact if they require any support for themselves or a friend. Designated safeguarding leads respond to any incident reports swiftly and appropriately. They keep accurate records, complete

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Significant progress

referrals where necessary and provide a good level of support to learners and apprentices. Leaders put in place a 14–19 designated safeguarding lead after the last inspection to continue to improve their approach for this group of learners. Leaders and managers have a good understanding of the local risks their learners may face. They attend a range of local networks and share this information effectively with staff. Leaders ensure that appropriate policies, procedures and risk assessments are in place. Monitoring visit: Derbyshire Adult Community Education Service, 7–8 July 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

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Significant progress

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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Significant progress

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Significant progress

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Significant progress

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