Northumbrian Citizens Advice Bureau

Northumbrian Citizens Advice Bureau Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Glenise Burrell, His Majesty's Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

Unit 6 Sovereign House Sovereign Business Park Epsom Drive Ashington Northumberland NE63 8UG Monitoring visit: Northumbrian Citizens Advice Bureau, 8 and 9 May 2024

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Context and focus of visit

Ofsted undertakes to carry out monitoring visits to all newly directly funded providers of adult learning provision where the provision offered is in scope for inspection. This monitoring visit was undertaken as part of those arrangements and as outlined in the ‘Further education and skills inspection handbook’, especially the sections entitled ‘Monitoring visits’ and ‘Monitoring visits to providers that are newly directly publicly funded’. The focus of these visits is on the themes set out below.

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Context and focus of visit

Northumbrian Citizens Advice Bureau is an independent learning provider based in Ashington, Northumberland. In September 2023, leaders began providing courses for adult learners with funding from the North of Tyne Mayoral Combined Authority. Leaders offer this adult learning provision under the name of ‘Thriving Together Northumberland’. They subcontract the provision to other providers to support residents who are difficult to reach and who often have high needs. At the time of the inspection, there were 119 learners on non-accredited programmes and 144 on accredited courses, of whom 30 were on functional skills English courses and 28 on functional skills mathematics courses.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders work with seven subcontracted providers that provide training for their learners. They complete a comprehensive due diligence process to ensure that they work only with providers whose values match their own. However, leaders have not assured themselves that the quality of education that learners receive at the subcontractors is of a high standard. They have plans in place to monitor the quality of the provision, which include carrying out lesson visits, collecting learner feedback and checking the quality of learners’ work. However, they have not yet implemented these plans.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and tutors at the subcontractors plan the curriculum well to meet the needs of most learners. For example, subcontractors provide accredited functional skills qualifications in English and mathematics which they target at adults who lack these skills. They also design the curriculum to enable learners to gain in confidence, engage effectively with other people and gain basic knowledge and skills that will help them progress either to employment or into volunteering roles, such as working in community cafes or charity shops. However, a small number of learners, for example those who are retired, attend for the purpose of remaining active and have no other plans to use their learning. Monitoring visit: Northumbrian Citizens Advice Bureau, 8 and 9 May 2024 Leaders and managers have in place a board of trustees with varied and useful experience of working in the sector. However, although board members provide

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Insufficient progress

sufficient challenge on contractual and financial aspects of the provision, they do not ensure that the quality of education that learners receive is at a high standard. The trustees are aware of this gap, and plans are in place to include a separate governance arrangement for this aspect.

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Reasonable progress

Learners benefit from a good standard of teaching. During learning activities, tutors explain tasks clearly so that learners understand what they are required to do. For example, customer services tutors break activities on communication down into simple chunks and ensure that learners grasp basic concepts before building on these. As a result, learners can apply what they have learned. They develop their awareness of what constitutes positive and negative non-verbal communication and how inappropriate ways of communication can be perceived and impact on people they are dealing with.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors manage group discussions in lessons effectively to allow all learners to contribute and engage in structured debate, taking care to prevent more vocal learners from dominating. As a result, all learners contribute and develop their speaking and listening skills.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors provide learners with clear and helpful support and guidance. This helps learners to address misconceptions and to identify the small steps of progress that they are making before tutors guide them to move on to further work.

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Reasonable progress

Most learners benefit from effective assessment of their work. On functional skills courses, tutors assess learners work accurately. They record and track the progress that learners make in developing the knowledge and skills needed to make further progress and achieve the qualification. However, tutors on non-accredited programmes do not use procedures for recognising and recording learners’ progress and achievements well enough. Individual learning plans do not identify well enough incremental targets based on learners’ specific and often complex needs, personal circumstances and barriers to their learning. Learning plans and marked work do not sufficiently recognise learners’ progress against personal learning and development targets. Monitoring visit: Northumbrian Citizens Advice Bureau, 8 and 9 May 2024

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Reasonable progress

Learners feel safe. They know how to report any concerns that they may have and feel confident that these would be dealt with by leaders at subcontractors.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have appropriate policies and procedures to keep their staff and learners safe. They have in place a relevant and useful ‘Prevent’ duty risk assessment and action plan. They ensure that subcontractors understand the ‘Prevent’ duty and make learners are aware of the risks of radicalisation.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders recruit people who are safe to work with learners on their programmes. They follow safer recruitment practices which include taking references, right to work in the United Kingdom checks and disclosure and barring service checks. They also ensure that these checks take place at subcontractors. Monitoring visit: Northumbrian Citizens Advice Bureau, 8 and 9 May 2024 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

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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

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