Suffolk County Council

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 Good

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Information about this provider

Suffolk County Council offers a wide range of community learning, qualification courses and non-qualification courses for adults across Suffolk. At the time of the inspection, there were 771 learners enrolled. There were 532 learners studying English, English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) and mathematics courses, 109 studying health and well-being courses and 67 studying digital skills courses. The remainder were studying on a mix of family learning and vocational skills courses. There were no learners in receipt of high-needs funding.

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Information about this provider

Suffolk County Council offers all of their adult skills and community learning courses through a subcontracting arrangement with four partners. Almost all of their subcontracting is with Realise Futures Community Interest Company (Realise Futures) which offers all of their adult skills courses. Since the previous inspection, leaders and managers at Realise Futures have launched new distance learning courses in health and social care and mathematics. All of their subcontractors offer community learning courses. Green Light Trust offers health and well-being courses, Ipswich Community Media and Learning offers community-based ESOL courses and Inspire Suffolk offers employability courses for young adults. 19 to 22 March 2024

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

Learners value highly the caring, supportive learning environments. Tutors place a high priority on learners’ well-being by providing individual support to learners, as well as offering a range of well-being courses. Leaders have developed courses to support the well-being of adult learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. At a horticultural learning centre, learners with a wide range of needs study mindfulness. Tutors support them effectively to learn how to better manage their anxiety through gardening and planting trees. Most learners improve their confidence while on their courses.

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

Learners have positive attitudes towards their learning. They are motivated to learn new knowledge and skills. Learners work collaboratively and support each other in lessons. Learners on digital courses support each other during lessons if they are facing difficulties with different tasks and need help. Learners on healthy eating courses, such as cooking with slow cookers, work collaboratively. They share recipes and ingredients from their different cultures. ESOL learners understand the importance of respecting the views of others in discussions. Learners’ rates of attendance at most lessons are high. Learners arrive at their lessons on time.

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

Learners with additional learning needs and/or disabilities are supported effectively by tutors. Tutors ensure that learners who need extra help use adapted learning resources and materials such as enlarged keyboards and coloured screen filters. In outdoor learning environments, tutors make suitable adaptations to practical activities for wheelchair-using learners.

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

Learners feel safe when studying their courses in the training centres, community- based locations and online. Tutors teaching horticulture prioritise safe working practices when learners are using hand tools.

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better?

Leaders and managers have thought carefully about the role of their adult learning provision in their skills strategy. Leaders have ensured that their courses do not overlap existing provision across the county. Courses are designed to meet the needs of adults who are furthest away from the job market. These courses aim to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours learners need for employment.

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better?

Leaders and managers at the subcontractors work closely with organisations in the local community to develop courses that meet learners’ needs. Managers and tutors in family learning work closely with local authorities, schools and local community hubs. They plan high-quality family learning courses that skilfully meet the needs of families in areas of deprivation.

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better?

Leaders and managers at Suffolk County Council have good oversight of their subcontractors. Leaders and managers monitor frequently the performance of their courses. Leaders give effective challenge and support to these subcontractors when 19 to 22 March 2024

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needed, such as to improve the quality of the individual targets they set for learners. Consequently, areas of improvement identified during the previous inspection are mostly rectified. Tutors have improved how they use what learners already know to inform their teaching.

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Leaders and tutors ensure that the different topics on each course are taught in an appropriate order so that learners can build on their prior learning. ESOL learners start by learning the basic skills of spelling, punctuation and grammar. Learners then study more advanced content such as writing complex sentences or using paragraphs. As a result, learners quickly improve their writing skills.

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Most tutors use their sound subject expertise and teaching skills effectively to ensure that learners develop their knowledge and skills. Family learning tutors use an extensive range of strategies and resources to teach their lessons effectively. During play with mathematics lessons, tutors teach parents different mathematical games that they can use with their children. Parents learn about how children can use their fingers to help them learn their multiplication tables. Parents and children play games using dice and bricks to practise addition and multiplication. As a result, parents learn a range of techniques to help them support their children. Health and social care tutors on distance learning courses use videos of young people with learning disabilities living independent lives skilfully to inform useful group discussions. Learners go on to discuss the rights of adults and service users with

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learning difficulties and/or disabilities. As a result, learners develop their understanding of the principles of providing person-centred care effectively.

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Tutors ensure that they plan activities effectively to use relevant real-world examples and scenarios. This ensures that learners develop the skills they need for employment and their everyday lives. Learners studying ESOL know the correct language to use when attending hospital appointments or visiting the doctor’s surgery. Learners in family learning courses know how to support their children with their homework and school studies. Learners at Inspire Suffolk know about using the STAR (situation, task, action and result) model during interviews.

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In most cases, tutors give clear explanations so that learners acquire a thorough understanding of topics. During well-being lessons when learning about developing assertiveness, tutors give a clear overview of the value of using affirmations. In digital skills for employment lessons, tutors explain tasks such as designing a flyer for a work event very clearly. Tutors challenge learners to add images and text to their flyers to make them more visually appealing. Tutors check learners’ progress carefully and give effective help to ensure that learners practise and master their newly learned skills.

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Most tutors use assessment effectively to check learners’ understanding and to identify areas in which they need to improve. Tutors of mathematics continually check learners’ understanding effectively through individual and group questioning. These tutors provide learners with further work to test that learners can apply their knowledge to a different set of calculations. As a result, most learners make good progress over time. Tutors on the Green Light Trust course use ‘sharing circles’ 19 to 22 March 2024

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effectively. These circles gather feedback from learners about what they have learned and how they are developing their skills. Tutors use this information to review teaching plans and to set learners’ new objectives.

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Most learners stay in learning and achieve their qualifications and/or personal learning goals. Half of the learners who complete each year continue with further study. Too few learners studying qualification courses in health and social care and digital skills remain in learning and achieve their qualifications. Leaders identify that this was partly due to learners not being fully committed to completing the longer health and social care courses and unemployed learners on digital courses gaining employment. Leaders have taken actions to improve the proportion of learners who complete these qualifications, but it is too early yet to see the full impact of these actions.

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Learners value the supportive and developmental feedback they receive from their tutors. Tutors on ESOL courses routinely correct learners’ spelling errors and use of capitals. Tutors show learners how to use the dictionary to check spelling and how to structure their work such as using paragraphs. Tutors support learners effectively to correct their own punctuation mistakes or the wrong selection of homophones. Consequently, learners know that they should proofread finished work before submission to eliminate any spelling and grammar errors.

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Tutors improve their skills in areas such as adapting teaching to meet learner’s individual needs as they share good practice in standardisation meetings. Leaders and managers at Realise Futures have not devoted enough time to ensure that tutors update their teaching practice. There remain a very few lessons where teaching is not consistently of a high quality.

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Learners’ knowledge and access to ongoing careers advice and guidance are too variable. In a few courses, learners receive guidance from tutors and the National Careers Service. Most learners have a good understanding of other courses available to them. However, on mathematics, digital and health and social care courses tutors do not provide sufficient information on careers or refer learners to available careers information. As a result, in these areas, too few learners interested in a career understand how to reach their ultimate career aim.

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Governance arrangements are effective. Those responsible for governance have a good understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement of the provision. Governors have worked closely with leaders to develop their adult learning strategy. Governors challenged leaders to recognise the importance of the rurality of Suffolk. They encouraged leaders to consider carefully the outreach provision in these communities. Consequently, training is available at a broad range of venues and leaders have developed a small distance learning course offer.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 19 to 22 March 2024

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Increase the proportion of learners in health and social care and digital skills courses that remain in learning and achieve their qualifications.  Ensure that learners have access to high-quality careers advice and guidance so that learners interested in a career understand how to reach their ultimate career aim.  Ensure that tutors receive training to improve their teaching skills. 19 to 22 March 2024

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Provider details

Address Endeavour House Russell Road IPSWICH IP1 2BX

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Provider details

Principal, CEO or equivalent Nicola Beach

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Provider details

Provider type Community learning and skills

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Provider details

Date of previous inspection 7 February 2018

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Provider details

Main subcontractors Realise Futures CIC Ipswich Community Media and Learning Green Light Trust Inspire Suffolk 19 to 22 March 2024

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the adult learning service manager, 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

Georgina Ager, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Philip Elliott Ofsted Inspector Jules Steele His Majesty’s Inspector Mark Care Ofsted Inspector Jaswant Mann Ofsted Inspector Patricia Rogers Ofsted Inspector 19 to 22 March 2024

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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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