Action Foundation

Action Foundation Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Charles Searle, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: The Castlegate Melbourne Street Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 2JQ Monitoring visit: Action Foundation, 11–12 August 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

Action Foundation is a charitable organisation that supports asylum seekers and refugees in Tyne and Wear. In May 2020, it was funded by the North of Tyne Combined Authority to run a digital inclusion project. The project involves providing asylum seekers and refugees with digital equipment, such as a tablet and a sim card, and the skills to use them. At the time of the visit, there were 25 learners following a non-accredited information and communication technology learning aim. Since the project started, 97 learners have completed the learning aim.

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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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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have not been able to translate their clear vision about the value of digital inclusion for asylum seekers and refugees into a coherent curriculum that develops sustainable new knowledge and skills in the use of information and communication technology.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers do not have a good understanding of how to plan and structure the delivery of a community learning programme. They have not established an effective system to identify the goals that learners want to achieve based on their starting points or to measure learners’ progress towards those goals.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers do not have sufficient information with which to evaluate the impact of the teaching that learners receive. Too many learners do not respond to follow-up enquires about what they have done since they finished their course and how they have used the skills that they have acquired. Monitoring visit: Action Foundation, 11–12 August 2021 Trustees have not been sufficiently vigilant in their oversight of the digital inclusion project. For most of the duration of the project, no trustees have attended the sub- group of the board that is responsible for the project. As a result, trustees have not been aware of the failure of leaders to implement all elements of the organisation’s safeguarding policy and to ensure that learners develop significant new skills.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have not established arrangements for learners to receive information, advice and guidance. They have plans to provide one-to-one mentoring sessions for learners at the end of the programme in the second year of the project, but these were not in place at the time of the visit.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers work effectively with a range of partner organisations to prioritise those refugees who should receive digital equipment. They provide training for partner organisations’ volunteers and liaise with funding bodies on behalf of the organisations.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers use the language skills of volunteer tutors effectively to support the delivery of the project. The volunteers’ ability to interpret in four different languages enables asylum seekers and refugees from a large number of countries to access and benefit from the available digital technology.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have designed a programme that is too short in duration to enable learners to develop new digital knowledge and skills. All learners attend a one-hour session at which they receive a tablet loaded with data and are shown how to access relevant websites and download apps. Learners are supposed to receive follow-up telephone support but, for a significant proportion of learners, this has not happened.

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Insufficient progress

Tutors do not identify well enough learners’ existing digital skills at the start of programmes. Many learners already have digital skills and are only interested in accessing the digital equipment, so do not benefit from any teaching. Others have little experience of using this equipment and do not get enough time with the tutors to develop the new skills that they need to use the equipment properly.

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Insufficient progress

Staff do not discuss or record learners’ personal, social and employment goals at the start of the programme. As a result, teachers have no means with which to measure how much progress learners have made towards such goals by the end of the programme.

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Insufficient progress

Tutors and managers do not provide learners with sufficient information about what happens after learners have completed their brief initial teaching session. Too many Monitoring visit: Action Foundation, 11–12 August 2021 learners are unaware of or do not use the learning resources that are installed on their tablets. Managers do not check to see if learners access these resources.

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Insufficient progress

Too many learners do not respond to the follow-up surveys sent out by tutors to assess how learners have used the digital equipment. As a result, tutors have insufficient information about the extent to which learners overcome barriers to gaining employment, where relevant, or progress onto further training.

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Insufficient progress

Those learners who do provide feedback appreciate the social benefits that the digital equipment has given them. They describe improved social interaction with friends and families and an ability to use comparison websites to find cheaper utility providers.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have not implemented some of the key procedures that are set out in the organisation’s safeguarding policy. They have not carried out a ‘Prevent’ duty risk assessment or developed an action plan, despite the policy stating that these are in place. Staff and volunteers have not completed training on how to identify the risks from radicalisation and extremism.

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Insufficient progress

Staff are not trained in safeguarding to the levels that the organisation’s policy prescribes. Managers who should have achieved level 2 and 3 qualifications in safeguarding have not done so.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers do not keep records on the safe recruitment of the volunteers who teach learners on the digital inclusion project.

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Insufficient progress

Staff deal with safeguarding incidents appropriately. Actions and any lessons learned by staff and managers through the incidents are recorded and shared with trustees.

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Insufficient progress

Volunteer teachers ensure that learners understand the basics of how to stay safe online. Monitoring visit: Action Foundation, 11–12 August 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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Insufficient progress

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Insufficient progress

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Insufficient progress

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Insufficient progress

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

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