School of Code

Name of lead inspector: Sharon Dowling, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 October 2022

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: Unit 222 Scott House The Custard Factory Gibb Street Birmingham B9 4AA Monitoring visit: School of Code, 25 and 26 October 2022

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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

School of Code is an adult learning provider based in Birmingham, with learners across England. It has been funded to deliver skills boot camps (boot camps) by the West Midlands Combined Authority since April 2020 and by the Department for Education since April 2022. At the time of the monitoring visit, there were 122 learners undertaking a 16-week boot camp in computer coding skills.

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Significant progress

Leaders have designed and implemented a highly effective curriculum that encourages the development of knowledge and skills in a creative and controlled online environment. Starting with the basics of both coding and computational thinking, learners develop increasingly advanced coding and problem-solving skills which are complemented by live coding projects from employers.

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Significant progress

Leaders are highly ambitious for their learners. They set high expectations of professional behaviour and commitment. Leaders have designed and implemented a course that aims to take learners with no prior coding experience to becoming work ready within 20 weeks.

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Significant progress

Leaders work closely and effectively with a range of employers in the coding industry. Through biannual partnership boards, they work with employers to identify current industry needs and to reflect on and improve activities such as ‘Demo Days’ where employers interact with learners. The strong relationships they nurture with employers result in learners having opportunities to apply for jobs in the sector.

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Significant progress

Leaders and managers have detailed and effective processes to monitor the progress of learners. Leaders regularly review the effectiveness of the boot camp and implement changes swiftly to bring about improvements. For example, leaders Monitoring visit: School of Code, 25 and 26 October 2022 changed the curriculum to ensure that learners were able to engage in a wide range of coding activities that focus on working for employers in the areas where they live and aim to work.

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Significant progress

Leaders support coaches to maintain and develop their coding skills well. Coaches are given time between courses to participate in training through membership of an online coding learning company. However, this initiative is led by coaches, and leaders do not have a clear enough understanding of what training is being completed and whether it closes coaches’ skill gaps or improves their teaching.

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Significant progress

Governance is effective. Leaders have put in place a board of governance that offers a range of expertise, including education experience in coding, corporate training and finance. Governors provide detailed scrutiny and challenge, both in formal governance meetings and informally in the role of a critical friend.

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Significant progress

Coaches use a thorough initial assessment and independent learning project prior to the start of the course to ensure that all learners are committed to their course. They check learners’ understanding through initial mentoring meetings. As a result, coaches are able to support learners effectively to make rapid progress based on their starting points.

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Significant progress

Coaches use frequent activities during taught sessions to ensure learners practise the knowledge, skills and behaviours they have learned. They follow these with end-of- day quizzes and end-of-week ‘hackathons’ to ensure that this learning is committed to long-term memory through regular practice in differing contexts. Learners quickly develop significant new knowledge, skills and behaviours which they continue to refine throughout the boot camp programme.

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Significant progress

Coaches and learners have a highly developed understanding of the progress that learners are making. Coaches use a number of overlapping feedback mechanisms, including one-to-one meetings. Learners use 360-degree feedback to understand from peers their own skill development and assess not only coding skills but also employment skills needed within the industry. These approaches ensure any gaps in the knowledge and understanding of learners are quickly rectified.

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Significant progress

Learners with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make progress in line with their peers. Coaches have increased the accessibility of all learning resources to include closed captioning, written instructions and verbal task instructions. Learners with SEND are identified before courses start or within the first week and have discussions with coaches about how they would prefer to be supported. Coaches support learners with neurodiversity, providing additional mentoring and altering learning plans to meet their specific needs. Monitoring visit: School of Code, 25 and 26 October 2022 Coaches deliver a highly effective programme of mindset and employability activities, alongside coding skills. They support learners to improve their personal development, cooperative working and problem-solving skills required to work in the industry. As a result, learners complete their studies ready to progress into highly

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Significant progress

skilled careers, with a high proportion gaining employment within three months of completing their course.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have in place safeguarding policies and procedures that reflect the adult age group they work with. The designated safeguarding lead (DSL) and deputy DSL have undertaken appropriate training, and coaches receive regular updates on safeguarding. Leaders follow appropriate safer recruitment procedures, including checks on the right to work and identity and reference checks when recruiting staff.

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Reasonable progress

Coaches and learners know how to report safeguarding concerns to the DSL and deputy DSL, who respond accordingly. Managers and coaches discuss the progress of learners in a weekly welfare meeting, which includes a review of safeguarding concerns. Should any safeguarding concerns arise, then managers deal with these swiftly and effectively.

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Reasonable progress

Coaches ensure that learners feel safe online when in sessions. They have a number of coaches present for every session to support learners and each other, all of whom are experts in online teaching platforms. As a result, should any poor behaviour occur, they are able to remove learners from the online learning environment. Monitoring visit: School of Code, 25 and 26 October 2022 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

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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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