South Yorkshire Housing Association Limited

South Yorkshire Housing Association Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Malcolm Fraser, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection dates: 30 November and 1 December 2022

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

152 Rockingham Street Sheffield S1 4EB Monitoring visit: South Yorkshire Housing Association Limited, 30 November and 1 December 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. 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

In August 2021, the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority commissioned South Yorkshire Housing Association Limited (SYHA) to provide a non-accredited education programme to support long-term unemployed residents to develop the skills and confidence that they need to overcome the barriers that they face and, ultimately, to progress into work. At the time of the visit, 46 learners, aged 25 or over, from across south Yorkshire were enrolled on a programme called ‘Good Work Skills’.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers work well with employers and stakeholders to design a curriculum for the Good Work Skills programme that has a clearly defined purpose: to engage with unemployed residents with long-term health conditions or other often significant barriers to help them gain employment. They use their well-established links effectively with other services provided by SYHA and external agencies to identify adults who would most benefit from participating in the programme.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers use their good links within SYHA to provide support for learners to overcome barriers that impede progress on the programme. For example, they help learners experiencing poor living conditions to find new accommodation.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders, managers and directors responsible for governance use rigorous reporting and accountability procedures to maintain an effective oversight of the provision. They support and hold managers to account well for the quality of education and the progress of learners. Leaders and managers ensure that staff who oversee the programme and teach on it are appropriately qualified and skilled and that they have manageable workloads. In the early stages of the programme’s delivery, SYHA leaders recognised that they had not responded quickly enough to meet all of the expectations required of a publicly funded provider of education. After recognising Monitoring visit: South Yorkshire Housing Association Limited, 30 November and 1 December 2022 this, they acted swiftly to ensure that they did, and were able to provide an effective programme for adult learners.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers work well with employers and stakeholders to ensure that through participating in learning and support sessions learners make progress in gaining the knowledge, skills and behaviours they need to progress towards their planned goals. A high proportion of learners who have completed the programme since autumn 2021 either gained employment, moved into volunteering roles or enrolled on accredited education programmes with other providers.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors use information that they gather about learners’ starting points effectively to plan training and support activities. They work with learners to identify clearly their aspirations and the barriers that they face. Tutors then plan appropriate lessons and activities that help learners to gain the knowledge, skills and behaviours that they need to move closer to achieving their goals. However, in a few instances, tutors do not agree precise enough targets to help learners to identify what they need to do to improve their knowledge and skills further.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors are highly sensitive to learners’ needs. They identify quickly where learners’ support needs, often related to their mental health, would become significant barriers to them being able to learn and make progress if left unaddressed. When necessary, they make referrals quickly and sensitively to local agencies so that learners can access the support that they need to be able to participate in learning.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors develop a good rapport with learners. They create welcoming learning environments, where learners feel welcome, are put at ease and are able to participate and make progress in the lessons and support activities that tutors plan.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors plan their delivery of the curriculum well. They identify activities that help learners to develop resilience and confidence without setting unrealistic expectations for finding work before learners are ready. Tutors carefully consider other ways in which learners for whom it is appropriate could make incremental steps towards their goals. For example, they encourage learners to volunteer at local homework clubs and engage in residents’ associations.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors encourage and support learners to complete and achieve digital badges that recognise their progress and achievements. However, in a few instances, tutors do not review or record learners’ progress frequently enough to help learners recognise the incremental improvements that they have made in developing their work-related skills and behaviours. Monitoring visit: South Yorkshire Housing Association Limited, 30 November and 1 December 2022

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Reasonable progress

The importance of safeguarding vulnerable adults effectively has a high profile in all the activities that SYHA carries out with residents. Leaders ensure that this aspiration is supported by comprehensive policies and procedures that staff providing the Good Work Skills programme understand and use to keep adult learners safe. Leaders ensure that staff have been subject to appropriate Disclosure and Barring Service checks and that they update mandatory safeguarding annually.

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Reasonable progress

Safeguarding procedures clarify for staff how to recognise signs that someone may be at risk of a range of issues, including hate crime, honour-based violence, female genital mutilation, forced marriage and radicalisation. Staff understand how to escalate any concerns that they have. However, although leaders and managers have a thorough awareness of local risks to residents’ safety and well-being, including risks associated with radicalisation and extremism, they have only very recently begun to develop a ‘Prevent’ duty action plan specific to the Good Work Skills provision. Monitoring visit: South Yorkshire Housing Association Limited, 30 November and 1 December 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

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Reasonable progress

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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