London Examinations Board Limited

Further education and skills inspection report

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Inspection of London Examinations Board Limited

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Inspection dates: 28 February to 1 March 2024

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Inadequate Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Inadequate Apprenticeships Inadequate Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this provider

London Examinations Board Limited (LEB) is an independent learning provider. They have been training apprentices since June 2020. Leaders specialise in providing online education and training to senior leader apprentices. At the time of the inspection, there were 73 apprentices in learning. Forty-two apprentices study the level 7 senior leader standard. The remainder study the children and young people families apprenticeship. There are no apprentices in receipt of high-needs funding.

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Information about this provider

Leaders are in the process of ceasing the partnership with their subcontractor, who provides English and mathematics training. 28 February to 1 March 2024

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

Apprentices enjoy their learning but do not benefit from enough time with their tutors. They receive, at the most, around one hour per week of planned teaching or training. They value the limited support they receive from their tutors to help them with their studies.

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

Apprentices do not benefit from planned activities beyond the curriculum that would support them with wider interests. Too few apprentices develop strategies and, therefore, the resilience, to manage the challenges of studying while managing their workplace pressures.

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

Too many apprentices do not attend their lessons and too many leave the course early.

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

Apprentices do not receive any careers education, advice and guidance to help them plan their long-term goals.

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

Apprentices feel safe and are confident to report concerns, such as bullying or harassment, should the need arise. Apprentices, who work in healthcare settings, have a good understanding of safeguarding and the appropriate measures they need to take to keep their clients and themselves safe.

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better?

Leaders are not ambitious enough and do not set high expectations for the quality of education and training that apprentices receive. They do not manage and use performance data well. Leaders’ strategies to rectify systemic issues, such as poor achievement, retention and attendance, are ineffective. Their actions have been slow to provide rapid and sustained improvement. Too many apprentices leave the course within the first year of study and do not complete their final assessments.

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better?

Tutors do not provide apprentices with enough well-planned training or support. Apprentices learn most of the intended curriculum on their own. As a result, they spend most of their study time completing assignments rather than learning about the subjects they need to.

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better?

Staff do not work effectively with employers to plan on- and off-the-job training. Employers are not sufficiently involved in monitoring their apprentices’ progress. They do not know how to support apprentices with relevant on-the-job activities that could support their learning. As a result, apprentices do not have sufficient chance to practise and apply what they learn at work.

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better?

Leaders do not plan a curriculum that includes a sufficient focus on the development and teaching of English and mathematics. As a result, apprentices do not receive high-quality English and mathematics teaching. Leaders are taking suitable steps to deal with this issue. It is too early to see the impact of this. 28 February to 1 March 2024

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Tutors are qualified and have suitable vocational experience to teach the curriculum. In most cases, they use their expertise well to provide clear explanations of the topics they teach. However, apprentices on the children, young people and families standard do not gain substantial new knowledge and skills.

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In most cases, tutors identify apprentices’ starting points. However, tutors do not use this information to plan individualised training for apprentices. Leaders and tutors do not always adapt the sequencing of the curriculum to meet the needs of apprentices or employers. For example, apprentices who study the level 7 senior leader apprenticeship can join the course at any time. This means there is no deliberate logic to apprentices’ studies. Conversely, leaders organise the level 4 children, young people and families practitioner apprenticeship curriculum in a logical order. Apprentices first learn essential subjects, such as safeguarding and risk assessment, before going onto broader topics.

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Most tutors provide effective developmental feedback on apprentices’ written work. Apprentices are clear on what they have done well and what they need to improve. As a result, most apprentices produce good-quality assessment, to the right standard.

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Tutors set clear expectations for attendance and punctuality at the start of the course. However, apprentices’ attendance and punctuality are too low. Leaders do not have effective strategies to improve attendance and punctuality across their courses. Leaders have recently employed additional staff. But, this has had limited impact so far in improving attendance.

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Leaders do not routinely provide any structured careers education for apprentices. Apprentices do not benefit from receiving impartial careers advice and guidance. They are unaware of opportunities beyond their current role. Apprentices are not able to make informed decisions and plan their next steps once they complete their qualifications.

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Leaders do not develop apprentices’ wider interests to help them maintain their physical and mental health. For example, leaders have identified that most apprentices work in the healthcare sector, where they experience high degrees of stress and other barriers to their learning. However, leaders do not use this information to provide suitable guidance and support to help reduce stress and build apprentices’ resilience. Consequently, too many apprentices withdraw from their course due to work-related stress and other work pressures.

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Apprentices have a suitable understanding of equality and diversity. However, too few apprentices can recall information on fundamental British values in sufficient detail. Leaders are aware of the issue and are taking suitable steps. It is too early to see the impact of these actions.

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Leaders have implemented a range of quality assurance mechanisms, but these have not led to sufficient improvement. For example, leaders’ observations of 28 February to 1 March 2024

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teaching are not frequent enough and do not include new staff. Leaders recognise they do not use information from observations to implement suitable action plans or target training to develop teachers’ pedagogical skills.

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Leaders’ governance arrangements have not yet been effective enough to drive rapid improvement. Governors meet too infrequently to have a substantial impact on improving the weaknesses in the curriculum. Recent appointments include governors with appropriate curriculum expertise, but it is too early to see the full impact of this new arrangement.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Implement effective strategies to ensure that apprentices stay on programme and complete their qualifications successfully.  Take effective and swift action to improve the quality of education, so that apprentices receive more teaching and support to learn the intended curriculum.  Work more effectively with employers to plan on- and off-the-job training to enable apprentices to make substantial progress in their learning.  Ensure tutors use apprentices’ starting points to plan an ambitious curriculum that meets their individual needs.  Provide appropriate targeted training to support staff to improve their teaching practice.  Implement a suitable personal development curriculum to ensure all apprentices receive high-quality, impartial careers education, advice and guidance.  Develop and implement effective strategies to improve attendance. 28 February to 1 March 2024

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Provider details

Address 11 Regent Gate 83 High Street Waltham Cross EN8 7AF

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Provider details

Principal, CEO or equivalent Kevin Johns-Putra

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Provider details

Provider type Independent learning provider

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Provider details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Provider details

Main subcontractors Runway Apprenticeships Limited 28 February to 1 March 2024

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the Apprenticeships Operations 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

Michael Worgs, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Ginny Bradwell Ofsted Inspector 28 February to 1 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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