Reed In Partnership

Reed In Partnership Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Mike Finn, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: 31 Amelia Street London SE17 3PY Monitoring visit: Reed In Partnership, 23–24 June 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

Reed In Partnership provides a wide range of employment services with an aim positively to transform people and their communities. They have established an adult education programme to fit alongside the wider employability services offered. Three hundred and seventeen learners are enrolled on the skills for jobs programme, with the aim of developing learners’ employability skills to help them into employment.

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Context and focus of visit

During the pandemic, the course has been taught online.

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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 have ensured that courses align closely with the wider employability support programmes offered by the business. Leaders design adult education courses so that they will be useful to learners when starting employment. For example, they have selected to teach units about problem-solving at work and customer service, as they have identified that these areas are a priority for learners. As a result, courses have a good focus on helping learners to take a positive next step into employment or further study.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and tutors adapt the curriculum to suit the needs of learners. For example, they have adjusted the customer service unit by working with the examination body to change the end-of-unit assessment to make it more purposeful and useful for learners.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have recruited tutors and advisers who are experienced and well-qualified to support them in their roles. They have also provided them with a range of training opportunities to develop them in their role, for example development sessions about Monitoring visit: Reed In Partnership, 23–24 June 2021 leading group training sessions with confidence. As a result, leaders support staff effectively to improve their teaching practice.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have not yet ensured that they have a secure enough understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision. Consequently, they do not put in place effective strategies for further improvement. At the same time, they do not have strong enough governance to help them in this task.

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Reasonable progress

Most learners on the programme have been out of the workplace for some time and all have been referred to the programme by Jobcentre Plus, or other organisations. Leaders and tutors carry out appropriate assessments to identify learners who are most likely to benefit from the course. Consequently, they only place learners onto the programme when it will support them with their individual employability or social needs.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors support learners to develop new knowledge about tackling problems in the workplace. For example, learners know that problems can be dealt with in a range of ways, and they can be viewed from a variety of perspectives. As a result, learners are suitably prepared to solve problems at work when they start employment.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors and advisers set and review helpful targets with learners to guide them to develop their self-resilience. Consequently, most learners develop their confidence as a result of being on the programme. For example, they are now applying for employment and exploring sectors that they have not considered previously.

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Reasonable progress

Learners who inspectors spoke with consistently praise the quality of training and individual support offered by tutors and advisers. They also benefit from the extensive careers guidance they receive alongside their programme. For example, staff send them relevant job vacancies, and provide support to learners when writing cover letters and developing a curriculum vitae.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors give useful verbal feedback to learners in lessons. Small groups of learners attend the online sessions and tutors are able to give individual feedback at regular intervals through the day. However, tutors do not ensure that feedback in learners’ course workbooks is constructive. In their feedback they do not specifically indicate how learners can improve the standard of their written work. Monitoring visit: Reed In Partnership, 23–24 June 2021 At the start of the course tutors assess learners’ knowledge and use of English and mathematics. However, they do not use the outcomes of these assessments to plan and teach components of either subject to help bridge gaps in learners’ knowledge.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors and advisers get to know learners well. As a result, learners feel safe and comfortable with their tutors and advisers, and they feel able to turn to them for support.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have put in place robust suitability checks when recruiting staff. These include employment reference checks, as well as disclosure and barring service clearance.

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Reasonable progress

The designated safeguarding lead (DSL) ensures that staff are well trained to undertake their roles. Additional training in specialist areas, such as suicide prevention and mental health first aid, has further developed their awareness of how to effectively support learners.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders do not ensure that tutors recap sufficiently learners’ understanding of safeguarding topics. As a result, too few learners can remember what they have been taught about how to keep themselves safe.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders do not ensure that tutors and advisers report all minor concerns they may have about learners. As a result, the DSL is not aware of the full range of issues faced by learners. Monitoring visit: Reed In Partnership, 23–24 June 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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