London Vocational College Limited

London Vocational College Limited Reinspection monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Steve Lambert, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

2nd Floor Heraldic House 160-162 Cranbrook Road Ilford IG1 4PE Monitoring visit: London Vocational College Limited, 7 and 8 March 2023

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Context and focus of visit

This is the first reinspection monitoring visit to London Vocational College Limited following publication of the inspection report on 21 September 2022 which found the provider to be inadequate overall.

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Context and focus of visit

London Vocational College (LVC) is an independent learning provider based in Ilford in the London Borough of Redbridge. LVC courses to adult learners within the adult care and childcare sectors.

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Context and focus of visit

At the time of the inspection, approximately 420 adult learners were studying a range of programmes from entry level to level 3. These learners are funded by the Greater London Authority. A significant proportion of the adult provision is the level 3 diploma in adult care, functional skills qualifications in English and mathematics, and English for speakers of other languages.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have begun to develop the curriculum to support learners’ development beyond the classroom. For example, they have shared web links with assessors to pass on to learners on topics such as food banks and healthy eating. Assessors use this information in their lessons to help extend learners’ knowledge. Leaders and managers have secured funding for work experience placements abroad for learners. This will enable some learners on childcare and adult social care courses to experience how children and the elderly are looked after in other countries. Leaders and managers have a realistic plan in place to implement a curriculum aimed at supporting learners more widely than their course of study. This includes a focus on developing their careers with sessions on going to university, curriculum vitae writing and job applications. They also have sessions on topic related to healthy eating, managing money, and health and well-being.

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Reasonable progress

A minority of learners spoken to are not aware of personal development opportunities available to them beyond the vocational subjects they study. Leaders and managers recognise that there is more to do to ensure that learners get access to further opportunities for their personal development. Monitoring visit: London Vocational College Limited, 7 and 8 March 2023

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Reasonable progress

Since the previous inspection, designated safeguarding leads have updated their training. This has improved their capacity to manage safeguarding across the provision. They have up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding. Senior leaders have formed a positive relationship with the local authority which they have used to help them with training in effective recruitment practices. Leaders now know how to recruit staff appropriately. All assessors have completed recent training on safeguarding. This has raised their awareness of how to identify learners who may have safeguarding issues, such as through identifying changes in learners’ behaviour. Assessors know how to report any concerns they may have. Those responsible for governance have good oversight of safeguarding, for example governors ensure that college leaders update the safeguarding policy appropriately. Learners are safe and feel safe. They know how to report any concerns they have

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Reasonable progress

about their own safety and welfare. Leaders and managers have standardised the materials that assessors use to teach learners about safeguarding and the dangers of radicalisation and extremism. However, learners do not have good recall of what they have been taught. A few have knowledge of this from their work or other training that they have completed.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have taken on board the findings from the previous inspection and taken positive steps to make improvements. They have taken actions to improve the provision, including establishing a board of governors to hold leaders to account. The new governors provide an effective focus on the quality of education and the performance of the provider. This new focus and detailed reporting have have helped leaders and managers take steps to improve the quality of education. Leaders and managers have an improved understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision. Their own evaluation of their strengths and areas for improvement is realistic and links to the quality improvement plan. However, while leaders record the actions they have implemented in their quality improvement plan, they do not evaluate or record sufficiently the impact these actions have. They are therefore uncertain whether their actions have a beneficial impact.

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Reasonable progress

Monitoring visit: London Vocational College Limited, 7 and 8 March 2023 With the support of the governors, leaders and managers have implemented a set of key performance indicators that help them to monitor the progress they make. These are reviewed frequently by senior staff and the board of governors. As a result, leaders and managers have a secure understanding of the current performance of courses. Leaders and managers are now much more proactive in managing and supporting assessors. Leaders evaluate the quality teaching and learning and have identified areas for improvements, such as in the way in which staff assess apprentices. As a result, they have provided training to all assessors on planning assessments and giving feedback. Assessors spoke positively about the increased scrutiny of their work, including regular lesson visits, team meetings and individual meetings with their manager, and scrutiny of the attendance and punctuality of learners. They feel much better

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Reasonable progress

supported and the training received has helped them to improve.

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Reasonable progress

Since the inspection, leaders and managers have implemented a more rigours approach to recruiting learners onto courses. They ensure that all learners complete English and mathematics assessments before being accepted to the course. They also discuss with learners their career aspirations and how the course will help them to take a step closer to achieving this. As a result, learners are suitably informed about the most appropriate course for them. Leaders and managers have recently implemented a more detailed skills assessment to evaluate each individual learner’s suitability for the course they wish to study. However, this is very new and has only recently started to be used for new learners. Leaders and managers have focused effectively on ensuring that learners have a better quality of education. They have provided staff with a range of training, such as in how to plan assessments, ensure that student work is authentic and provide

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Reasonable progress

feedback that helps learners to improve. This has resulted in assessors adopting a variety of suitable assessment methods for each module. Leaders and managers have recently invested in plagiarism, checking software to help ensure that learners’ work is their own. While leaders and managers have taken positive steps to improve learners’ experiences, they have not secured consistency across all programmes. Monitoring visit: London Vocational College Limited, 7 and 8 March 2023 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

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Reasonable progress

children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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

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