Lionheart in the Community Limited

Further education and skills inspection report

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Inspection of Lionheart in the Community Limited

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 July, and 2 and 3 August

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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 Good

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Information about this provider

Lionheart in the Community Limited (LITC) is a not-for-profit organisation and social enterprise provider based in Brixton, London. Training takes place either online or in face-to-face lessons in local community settings. LITC has a learning centre in Redditch in the West Midlands.

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Information about this provider

LITC offers a range of vocational level 3 adult learning programmes, which are funded through advanced learner loans. Programmes include business, accounting, personal training, health and social care, children and young people’s workforce development, nail technology, barbering, information and digital technologies, and support for teaching and learning.

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Information about this provider

Learners can study at level 4 and level 5 in accounting and health and social care. The majority of programmes taught at the Redditch centre are within the hair and beauty sector.

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Information about this provider

At the time of the inspection, there are approximately 530 learners. The majority of LITC’s learners are from the diverse local community of Brixton and Greater London. 12 and 13 July, and 2 and 3 August 2023

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

Learners across programmes enjoy their studies. Tutors teach content in a logical sequence, allowing learners to quickly acquire new knowledge and skills, which they can then apply in practice. For example, hair and beauty learners with no experience in barbering or nail technology quickly gain the skills needed to perform practical tasks, such as a straight cut and basic manicure, early in the course. The vast majority of learners achieve their qualifications and progress to paid employment on completion of their programme.

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

Most learners attend well because staff create professional, calm, and inviting environments at learning centres and online. Learners develop in confidence as a result of their studies. For example, learners studying the gym instructing and personal training programme gain enough confidence from their programme to be able to run individual personal training programmes for clients.

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

Learners with additional learning support needs receive effective support. Tutors provide learners with a range of additional resources to help them with their learning. For example, in hair and beauty, learners with dyslexia have access to combs of different colour and size. They are taught how to use voice recognition software on the computer to write assignments. As a result, learners feel well supported and cared for by their tutors.

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

Learners feel empowered to advocate for themselves because tutors ensure they have a good understanding of fundamental British values. For example, tutors teach content about workplace rights, such as employees’ rights to have job descriptions, employment contracts and supervision at work.

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

Learners feel safe and know who to contact if they have concerns. Tutors teach a suitable range of topics at the start of the course to help learners stay safe in their industries and during their studies. For example, they learn about safeguarding, including the dangers of radicalisation and extremism. As a result, learners have a suitable awareness of how to keep themselves safe.

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better?

Leaders and managers have considered carefully their curriculum offer. They use feedback from local employers, community leaders, charity organisations and alumni to choose the programmes to teach. The programmes offered meet the needs of learners, employers and the local community. These courses also address national skills gaps. As a result, learners who aim to gain sustained employment or want to enhance their careers have access to a good range of appropriate programmes to study.

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better?

In most instances, tutors consider well what learners already know and can do at the start of the course. Through an initial discussion, a review of previous 12 and 13 July, and 2 and 3 August 2023

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qualifications and a skills assessment, tutors make sure that most learners are on the appropriate course and at the right level. Tutors check that learners have suitable levels of literacy to cope with the demands of their course. However, in health and social care and early years, the skills assessment is not detailed and thorough enough. As a result, a minority of learners on these courses repeat learning they already know.

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Tutors go over and above learners’ expectations on health and social care and early years programmes to find suitable work placements if they are not currently working. This means that most learners have access to appropriate work placements to complete the assessed element of their programme. They also gain good opportunities to apply what they learn in their workplaces.

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Tutors use effective strategies in lessons to check that learners understand what they are taught. They use good questioning techniques to recap on curriculum content, engage learners in discussions and check on prior knowledge, such as health and safety. For example, in information and digital technologies, tutors use informative diagrams to probe learners about their understanding of Boolean algebra.

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Leaders do not provide sufficient opportunities for tutors to develop their teaching skills so they can teach and assess effectively in online lessons. Not all tutors are adept at using the teaching and learning facilities when they teach online. This restricts the learning opportunities for learners in online lessons.

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The majority of learners receive timely and effective feedback on their work. Tutors provide frequent feedback to learners during their one-to-one and group lessons on the work they have produced and how to improve it. For example, in nail technology, during practical lessons, learners receive instant feedback from their tutors on how to improve their use of foil when removing nail varnish and how to improve their positioning with their client. As a result, the majority of learners’ work is at or beyond the expected standard. However, on a few occasions, in early years and sports programmes particularly, learners wait too long to get their work marked, and tutors do not correct errors in their use of English.

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Tutors provide most learners with effective careers advice and guidance. As a result, learners gain a good understanding of the job roles, careers and further education available to them at the end of their course. Tutors prepare learners well for their next steps. However, learners studying the children and young people’s workforce programme do not uniformly have a secure understanding of the pathways available to them.

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Tutors promote wider learning opportunities to learners on most programmes. Learners have opportunities to access online courses and webinars in subjects such as time management, examination pressure and managing challenging behaviours. Tutors provide workshops on interview skills and CV writing. However, learners studying children and young people’s workforce and information and digital technologies programmes are not sufficiently aware of the extra-curricular 12 and 13 July, and 2 and 3 August 2023

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opportunities available to them. As a result, they do not access the range of useful additional courses provided.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and managers create a positive safeguarding culture across the teaching and learning centres and in online sessions. Leaders set clear expectations through appropriate policies, risk assessments and procedures on how to provide a safe and responsive learning environment for learners. Leaders recruit staff safely, conducting appropriate checks on their suitability.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that staff are suitably trained to carry out their roles effectively. This includes safeguarding and ‘Prevent’ duty training for staff, including designated safeguarding leads (DSLs). As a result, learners receive appropriate and timely support from staff. For example, DSLs helpfully signpost learners in need to external counselling and domestic abuse support services.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and DSLs have good links with external ‘Prevent’ groups in different regions. This provides leaders and DSLs with a sound regional overview of the risks associated with radicalisation and extremism. They use the information they receive to review and reduce the local risks to staff and learners in each region.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Leaders should provide development opportunities for tutors so they can improve their teaching skills, particularly when teaching and assessing in online lessons.  Leaders should make sure that tutors have consistently good practice across all programmes when they give advice, guidance and feedback on work to learners. 12 and 13 July, and 2 and 3 August 2023

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Provider details

Address 233-243 Stockwell Road Brixton SW9 9SP

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Provider details

Principal, CEO or equivalent Alice Piller-Roner

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Provider details

Provider type Independent learning provider

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Provider details

Date of previous inspection 6 to 9 February 2018

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Provider details

Main subcontractors Not applicable 12 and 13 July, and 2 and 3 August 2023

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the director, 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

Joanna Walters, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Jane Hughes His Majesty’s Inspector Darrell Bate Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 July, and 2 and 3 August 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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