London School of Commerce & IT Limited

London School of Commerce & IT Limited 59-66, Greenfield Road, London, E1 1EJ

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Inspection dates 24 January to 27 January 2023

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education and training Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection N/A

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What is it like to be a trainee at this ITE provider?

Trainees do not know what knowledge, skills and professional behaviours they will need to teach in the further education and skills (FES) sector. Leaders do not give trainees sufficient guidance about the requirements of the FES sector or the subject qualifications they will need to gain employment. Therefore, some trainees have unrealistic expectations about what they need to do to become a teacher. Staff focus too much on the completion of planning documents as opposed to preparing trainees for the realities of teaching.

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What is it like to be a trainee at this ITE provider?

Trainees do not benefit from timely or well-structured support to develop their subject- specific teaching skills. The arrangements leaders make to support trainees are confusing, complicated and inconsistently applied. Only trainees who are preparing to teach the limited subjects in which there is expertise at the provider receive subject-specific support. Those hoping to teach other subjects do not know where they will get help with teaching their chosen subject.

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What is it like to be a trainee at this ITE provider?

Few trainees get enough opportunity to apply what they learn in their centre-based training in a real FES setting. Although trainees increase their confidence and their skills in preparing presentations, they do not start their teaching placements early enough. When trainees do start their placement, they spend too much time preparing planning documents rather than teaching. The teaching logs that trainees produce do not evidence 100 hours of practical teaching to groups of learners in a relevant FES setting.

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Information about this ITE provider

◼ At the start of the inspection, there were 81 trainees on ITE programmes at the London School of Commerce & IT Limited (LSCI). ◼ All trainees study the level 5 Diploma in education and training (DET) which is designed to prepare trainees to teach in the FES sector. ◼ Almost all trainees carry out their placement activities at PVG Training. The programmes offered by PVG Training are full-cost adult learning programmes that are not in scope for Ofsted inspections.

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Information about this inspection

◼ The inspection was carried out by three of His Majesty’s Inspectors. ◼ During the inspection, inspectors spoke with the chief executive officer (CEO), the principal, the vice-principal, the dean, the placement coordinator, the CEO of the placement provider, the DET programme leader and members of the programme teaching team. ◼ Inspectors visited trainees who were receiving training, met trainees in person and spoke to trainees on the telephone. ◼ Inspectors carried out focused reviews in business and employability. They also spoke to trainees preparing to teach other subjects such as health and social care and mathematics. ◼ No trainees were physically at the placement provider or delivering any teaching during the inspection.

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better?

Leaders offer a curriculum that lacks ambition and does not extend beyond the basic requirements of the awarding organisation specification. Both staff and trainees have a very simplistic awareness of the FES sector’s professional standards. Trainees know they need to be professional, but they receive limited advice from the provider on how to achieve this in a FES setting.

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better?

Leaders and staff do not make effective use of current educational research to plan the curriculum. Too often, they draw on outdated educational theories and promote contested approaches to planning learning and the management of classrooms. Therefore, trainees do not learn enough about how to select appropriate teaching methods to support their own learners to know more and remember more.

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better?

Leaders do not identify trainees’ subject specialisms early enough. They do not provide realistic advice when trainees select inappropriate subjects. For example, some trainees express an interest in teaching mathematics, languages and engineering regardless of their qualifications or expertise. Leaders continue to encourage these trainees, even though the chances of them developing the subject-specific knowledge and skills they will need to acquire employment and teach these subjects are very limited. Staff teach trainees about the need to support all learners, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, the curriculum content is too simplistic. Staff explain to trainees the need to produce support plans for learners with SEND, but they do not teach enough about adaptive teaching strategies. Consequently, too many trainees lack the specific knowledge needed to identify, plan for and teach

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better?

Leaders do not ensure that trainees benefit from high-quality mentoring. The feedback that staff and mentors provide to trainees about their teaching is too shallow and lacks specific guidance about improvements trainees could make. Only trainees preparing to teach subjects in which LSCI staff have expertise receive subject-specific support in preparation for their placement. As a result, trainees do not have the information they need to evaluate and improve their own teaching practice.

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better?

Leaders do not plan assessment activities carefully enough. Trainees need to complete an assignment that requires them to reflect on their practical teaching before most have started their placement. Staff give trainees targets to complete tasks, but do not provide feedback about the knowledge and skills that trainees need to improve. Consequently, too many trainees do not produce assignments that successfully meet the assessment criteria for the programme.

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better?

Leaders do not have enough oversight of the progress of trainees on the DET programme. Leaders implement a range of quality assurance systems that identify what trainees and stakeholders think and like about the programme. However, they do not track well enough or evaluate the development of trainees. As a result, too few trainees successfully complete the DET programme.

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better?

Leaders do not recruit trainees with integrity. They do not check whether trainees are suitable to work in a teaching role or whether the trainees are able to meet the academic requirements of the DET programme. Leaders do not know enough about what trainees do after they finish the DET programme. Therefore, leaders cannot with any real conviction testify that their programme successfully prepares trainees to work as FES teachers.

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What does the ITE provider need to do to improve the FES phase?

◼ Leaders and staff do not prepare trainees well enough for the demands and practicalities of teaching in the FES sector. Leaders should increase their engagement with providers in the FES sector to identify what trainees need to know about and do to be successful teachers. Leaders need to use this information to develop the DET programme and create an ambitious curriculum for trainees. ◼ Leaders and staff do not do enough to prepare trainees to teach a specific subject. Leaders must identify trainees’ qualifications and experience at the start of the DET programme to make sure that the trainee will be able to teach their chosen subject. Leaders should also redesign the curriculum to ensure that trainees receive more specific information and guidance about their chosen subject and how to teach it. This will help trainees to develop the knowledge and skills they need to teach their subject well. ◼ Trainees do not benefit from enough suitable opportunities to apply their learning and

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What does the ITE provider need to do to improve the FES phase?

practise teaching in a classroom. Leaders need to make sure that trainees complete at least 100 hours of practical teaching in a relevant FES setting. Leaders need to plan meaningful placements that allow trainees to apply concepts they are learning and reflect on these in a timely way. ◼ Trainees are not taught enough about pertinent or up-to-date teaching theories, including ways of adapting teaching for learners with SEND. Leaders need to support teaching staff to engage in relevant research to identify and use evidence-based teaching strategies in their teaching. ◼ Leaders do not plan assessment well enough. This results in trainees not being able to reflect on or improve their knowledge and skills. Leaders should redesign the assessment strategy and timing. Leaders need to ensure that trainees can identify sooner what they do well and what they need to do better to meet the requirements of the DET programme.

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What does the ITE provider need to do to improve the FES phase?

◼ Leaders do not know the extent to which trainees develop relevant knowledge and skills, and too many trainees do not complete the DET programme. Leaders must develop systems to monitor the progress of trainees so that they can identify when trainees fall behind and intervene quickly to provide the support that trainees need. Leaders should also review the support they provide so that all trainees benefit from timely, useful and subject-related support. ◼ Leaders do not check the suitability of trainees before they enrol them on the DET programme. Leaders must implement systems for safer recruitment and check whether trainees will be able to gain employment in a FES provider.

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ITE provider details

Unique reference number 2714630 Inspection number 10265469

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ITE provider details

This inspection was carried out in accordance with the ‘Initial teacher education inspection framework and handbook’.

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ITE provider details

This framework and handbook sets out the statutory basis and framework for initial teacher education (ITE) inspections in England from September 2020.

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ITE provider details

Type of ITE provider ITE in FE Phases provided Further education and skills Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Inspection team

Andrea Shepherd, Lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Sue Hasty His Majesty’s Inspector Ann Monaghan His Majesty’s Inspector

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Annex: Placement settings

There were no trainees attending placements during the inspection. guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Annex: Placement settings

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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-

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Annex: Placement settings

government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Annex: Placement settings

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Annex: Placement settings

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

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