Northumberland Business Service Limited

Northumberland Business Services Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Hayley Lomas, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: 6 Esther Court Ashington NE63 8AP Monitoring visit: Northumberland Business Service Limited, 25 and 26 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

Northumberland Business Services Limited was established 2000 as a not-for-profit social enterprise company. In August 2020, it received a contract from North of Tyne Combined Authority to provide adult learning programmes. At the time of the visit, 105 learners had participated in business skills development courses. Of these, 21 completed their programme through a subcontracting arrangement with The Food and Drink Network.

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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, managers and directors do not evaluate the quality of teaching well enough. Managers rely too much on feedback from learners without considering how effectively tutors ensure that learners remember what they have learned and apply their new knowledge in their workplace.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers do not have sufficient oversight of the progress that learners make. This means they are not able to assure themselves of the impact of the programme in developing learners’ knowledge and skills. They are also unable to ensure that staff intervene when learners fall behind.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers do not have an accurate understanding of the quality of training provided by their subcontractor or its impact. They do not identify or agree with the subcontractor their expectations about the quality of the courses that the subcontractor provides. They are unable to assure themselves that the learners on the subcontracted provision benefit from effective training and make good progress.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have a clear vision to support small businesses in the local area through training programmes. They work with the combined authority and local businesses to support regional growth and development of skills. They have developed two business skills programmes which are designed to meet the needs of Monitoring visit: Northumberland Business Service Limited, 25 and 26 August 2021 local people who run small businesses by providing them with the skills and knowledge needed to sustain and grow their businesses.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have recruited a team of suitably qualified professionals to develop and deliver a range of bespoke training. Tutors have developed a range of learning modules to help learners who are running a business. Modules include relevant topics such as finance, marketing and social media, the content of which learners can apply in their businesses.

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Insufficient progress

Tutors do not assess rigorously enough the progress that learners make during the programme in developing their knowledge and skills. They do not record the progress or achievement of learners following completion of each module of the training. As a result, tutors are not sufficiently aware of the progress that learners are making, which limits their ability to intervene with support to help learners to catch up if they need to.

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Insufficient progress

Tutors do not support learners to improve their English and mathematics skills. They do not identify the English and mathematics skills that learners need in their job roles. They do not carry out any assessment of learners’ existing skills or identify what learners specifically need to do to improve their English and mathematics skills.

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Insufficient progress

Tutors on the programme provided by the subcontractor do not accurately assess the specific knowledge and skills that learners need to develop. This means that they cannot assure themselves of the progress that learners make during their programme or learners’ level of achievement by the end of the programme.

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Insufficient progress

Managers and tutors have designed and sequenced an appropriate curriculum that aims to enable learners to develop their business knowledge and skills. Learners value the new knowledge and skills that they develop, which they can apply to their jobs managing businesses. They explained how they develop their understanding of effective marketing using social media, budgeting and costing, business planning, finding their customers, and effective sales techniques.

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Insufficient progress

Tutors have developed appropriate resources and activities which they use to support learners to develop and reinforce their knowledge and skills. Learners work together in workshops and share their knowledge and experience from different business sectors. Learners value the workshops as they provide them with information about different business strategies that they can use in their own businesses. Monitoring visit: Northumberland Business Service Limited, 25 and 26 August 2021

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have a basic safeguarding policy which they review annually. However, the policy does not identify clearly to whom staff and learners should report safeguarding concerns or how staff should record and refer concerns.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have not put in place appropriate arrangements for safeguarding learners. Teaching staff do not receive any training on safeguarding. Leaders and managers have not yet appointed a suitably trained designated safeguarding lead.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have not established appropriate support networks to help inform them and their learners about the risk of radicalisation and extremism. They have not identified local risks and they have a limited understanding of their responsibilities under the ‘Prevent’ duty.

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Insufficient progress

Tutors do not support learners to develop their understanding of safeguarding, including how to stay safe online.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have not established or implemented appropriate recruitment practices in order to ensure that staff are safe to work with learners, including vulnerable adults. Monitoring visit: Northumberland Business Service Limited, 25 and 26 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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