Burleigh College

Further education and skills inspection report

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Adult learning programmes Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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Information about this provider

Burleigh College is an independent learning provider based in Hammersmith in west London. They provide Greater London Authority funded education and training to 159 adult learners, many of whom are new to the country. Most learners are unemployed and have been referred to Burleigh College by Jobcentre Plus and are studying programmes in English for speakers of other languages (ESOL).

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Information about this provider

At the time of the inspection, there were 35 learners on entry level 1 ESOL, 37 on entry level 2 ESOL, 42 learners on entry level 3 ESOL and 30 on level 1 and level 2 ESOL. Burleigh College also has a small number of learners taking entry level and level 2 English functional skills courses. Courses are taught online and in person at the provider’s sites in Hammersmith and Harrow. 28 to 31 March 2023

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Many learners at Burleigh College have had little or no previous educational experience. Learners enjoy their time at Burleigh College and feel that they rapidly improve their language skills.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Learners benefit from a well-organised environment and like working with kind staff who understand their needs. Learners like the flexibility of being able to attend lessons online, face to face or a combination of both. They say it fits in with their personal commitments, such as childcare or attending job interviews. Those without access to information technology (IT) equipment appreciate the fact that they can borrow tablets or come into the building to use the well-equipped IT rooms.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Learners value the way that staff help them to improve their English rapidly. In addition to their lessons, learners have access to high-quality online resources and individual support from tutors. Learners benefit from having tutorial time once a week, when they can get help with topics that they find difficult, or if they need to catch up on learning. Tutors and learners develop productive working relationships.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Learners find balancing the demands of seeking work and family commitments with attending lessons to be a challenge. Leaders and managers have introduced positive changes to help learners stay on track with their courses. For example, weekly meetings with managers and tutors help to identify which learners need support to improve their attendance. Staff help learners to find funded nursery places or to rebook examinations at convenient times. Learners appreciate the care taken by staff to help them remain on their courses.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Learners develop a good understanding of fundamental British values during their time at the provider. For example, in ESOL lessons they learn about respect, tolerance and individual liberty as part of everyday discussions and writing. Learners and staff treat each other with a high degree of respect and courtesy. Learners enjoy learning in an environment where they feel included and comfortable.

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better?

Leaders have a clear rationale for the curriculum that they offer, to support learners to achieve English language qualifications that will make a positive difference in their lives. Leaders engage well with Jobcentre Plus, local employers and seven west London boroughs to develop a suitable curriculum. For example, leaders have recently opened a face-to-face ESOL training centre in Harrow in response to local Jobcentre demand. Leaders and managers have invested well in online platforms and high-quality IT resources that support the education provided, the majority of which remains online following the pandemic.

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better?

Leaders have carefully reviewed the subjects they offer, focusing the curriculum on foundational English language skills. Learners gain confidence in spoken and written English and develop the skills they need to progress into work or the next stages of 28 to 31 March 2023

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education. The ESOL curriculum is suitably tailored to meet the diverse aspirations of learners, some of whom wish to communicate more effectively within their families, and others who wish to pursue higher education or professional careers.

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Leaders and tutors make effective use of assessments at the start of the programme to identify accurately learners’ existing knowledge. Tutors use the results of these assessments to ensure that learners join the course at the right level for their current standard of English. As a result, tutors can plan and teach a curriculum that is carefully sequenced and challenging, and which meets the needs of individual learners.

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Tutors teach learners well. For example, ESOL tutors help learners remember new vocabulary and correct pronunciation through regular repetition and testing of words and phrases. Tutors provide feedback to learners that helps them to improve their spoken and written English. For example, in English functional skills, tutors highlight clearly where learners use incorrect spelling and grammar and suggest better choices of words in written texts to clarify meaning. As a result, learners improve their work over time.

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Leaders and managers faced specific local challenges that contributed to a decline in ESOL examination success rates during and immediately following the COVID-19 pandemic. Leaders recognise that following the pandemic, they were too slow to improve their oversight of learners’ attendance at, and achievement in, examinations. Leaders and managers have recently implemented measures to improve achievement rates. For example, they have better monitoring and assessment systems to track examination results. Tutors support learners who do not pass examinations with individual revision tutorials before they retake the tests. As a result of these changes, the achievement rate for externally validated examinations shows an improving picture.

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Leaders and managers provide helpful advice and guidance about learners’ next steps into employment. Well-qualified employment coaches help learners to make informed decisions about future learning and career opportunities. Tutors teach learners important work-related skills as part of ESOL lessons, such as how to write a supporting statement as part of a job application. The majority of learners progress into employment or further education after completing their course.

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Leaders and managers do not ensure that the curriculum sufficiently enables learners to develop interests beyond their courses and future employment. Leaders have developed a useful suite of online resources that promote topics such as healthy lifestyles, well-being and welfare advice. A small minority of learners engage with this offer and take part in activities such as writing and sharing recipes from different countries. However, most learners do not know about these resources.

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Members of the leadership team have a diverse range of appropriate expertise. Leaders make good use of external consultancy to provide scrutiny and help to make improvements. For example, external consultants regularly evaluate teaching and provide useful guidance to the teaching and learning team. Leaders and 28 to 31 March 2023

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managers use this guidance to provide tutors with targeted training in teaching methods. This has resulted in substantial improvement in the teaching quality across the provision.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and managers have suitable processes and policies in place to safeguard their learners. These include measures to keep learners safe online, such as internet filters, clear rules for remote learning and lesson activities related to online safety. Appropriately trained designated safeguarding leads support vulnerable adult learners effectively. Managers involved in hiring employees have had suitable training in how to avoid the recruitment of unsuitable staff.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and managers work well with external agencies to help keep their learners safe. For example, leaders frequently attend regional ‘Prevent’ meetings and communicate to staff the latest information about local risks to learners. As a result, staff know what to look out for to protect learners from the dangers of extremist ideas. Leaders have made a start on teaching learners about the threats and dangers of radicalisation and extremism. However, most learners have only a superficial understanding of these topics.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Leaders should continue to improve their oversight of examination attendance and achievement so that they have a clear picture of where changes are required and can take timely and appropriate action.  Leaders and managers should raise awareness among learners of the resources and opportunities they have available for them to broaden their interests, and increase learners’ engagement with these.  Leaders and managers should teach learners about radicalisation and extremism in a way that they can understand. As a result, learners should know how to keep safe from specific local risks that might affect them. 28 to 31 March 2023

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Provider details

Address Britannia House 1–11 Glenthorne Road W6 0LH

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Provider details

Principal, CEO or equivalent Kunal Goswami

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Provider details

Provider type Independent learning provider

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Provider details

Dates of previous inspection 3 to 5 March 2020

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Provider details

Main subcontractors None 28 to 31 March 2023

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by Kunal Goswami, as nominee. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous inspection report. The inspection was carried out using the further education and skills inspection handbook and took into account all relevant provision at the provider. Inspectors collected a wide range of evidence to inform judgements, including visiting learning sessions, scrutinising learners’ work, seeking the views of learners, staff and other stakeholders, and examining the provider’s documentation and records.

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Inspection team

Claudia Harrison, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Sue Hasty His Majesty’s Inspector Elena Diaconescu Ofsted Inspector 28 to 31 March 2023

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

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