Bygrove Primary School

Further education and skills inspection report

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Inspection of Bygrove Primary School (LETTA)

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

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

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Information about this provider

Bygrove Primary School, known as London East Teacher Training Alliance (LETTA), is an independent training provider based in Tower Hamlets, east London. The training provider is part of the LETTA Trust, a group that includes primary schools and initial teacher training provision. LETTA offers apprenticeships in the education and business administration sectors.

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Information about this provider

At the time of the inspection, there were 80 apprentices. Of these, 35 apprentices studied the level 3 teaching assistant standard and 45 apprentices studied the level 3 team leader or supervisor standard.

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Information about this provider

All apprentices are aged 19 and above. Apprentices work in primary schools, secondary schools, nurseries and specialist settings in east London. 14 to 16 May 2024

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

Apprentices apply themselves wholeheartedly to their training. They respond extremely positively to the high expectations that staff have of them. They have excellent attendance, submit high-quality work on time, and quickly develop new teaching and leadership skills which they apply effectively at work. For example, following lessons about inclusion in education, teaching assistant apprentices design activities to help autistic children learn about doubling numbers using a sensory approach. Apprentices are rightly proud of the positive impact that their new knowledge and skills have on the children in their schools and communities.

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

Apprentices eagerly take part in activities which, despite being challenging, help them become more confident and develop their interpersonal skills. For example, team leader apprentices work with professional actors to practise having difficult conversations at work. Employers highly value the extensive knowledge and skills that apprentices learn in their training, which allows them to gradually give apprentices more responsibility at work.

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

Apprentices benefit greatly from the exceptionally strong links that leaders and managers have with educational and community groups. Partner organisations provide support and opportunities for apprentices to make many valuable contributions to their communities. Apprentices fundraise for local charities, distribute food to elderly and homeless people, and help to plan activities that enrich children's lives such as Maths Week and World Book Day. Apprentices embody LETTA’s core value of generosity.

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

Apprentices feel safe at LETTA. They appreciate the care that their tutors take to check on their welfare and how they help them to manage busy working and family lives alongside their studies. Apprentices are aware of local risks and know how to report any concerns.

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better?

Leaders, managers and those responsible for governance have carefully designed a curriculum offer through which they aim to foster social mobility in a deprived part of London. They work exceptionally well with local primary schools, universities and subject groups, such as mathematics hubs, to plan and teach curriculums that meet the need for highly skilled staff in the education sector and in particular for trained team leaders and teaching assistants in east London schools.

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better?

Leaders and managers have carefully refined their training over time. They have recruited well-qualified tutors who are expert teachers. Apprentices benefit from the knowledge of specialist guest speakers who teach subject specific workshops, as well as from related training with their employers. This allows apprentices to link what they learn about each topic to their practice at work. On training days, apprentices also benefit from high-quality opportunities to extend their interests. 14 to 16 May 2024

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Apprentices enjoy reading management books or listening to podcasts that speakers recommend.

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Tutors teach carefully planned sessions that include frequent recapping of material within and between sessions. This helps apprentices to understand and recall theoretical content so they can apply it later on. For example, when learning about the skills needed for financial leadership, team leader apprentices correctly recall the theories and models of leadership that they learned early in their course.

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Tutors provide excellent support to apprentices with particular barriers to academic success. For example, the majority of apprentices have English as an additional language and tutors plan suitably tailored activities to help them learn specialist vocabulary. They check that apprentices use terms correctly in their written work and give detailed feedback to correct misconceptions where they arise. As a result, apprentices remember and use specialist concepts and terminology fluently in their written work.

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Apprentices receive exceptionally high-quality mentoring and on-the-job training in their workplaces. Curriculum leads work closely with mentors in schools and nurseries so that they understand what apprentices learn and what kind of experiences and further on-the-job training will help them to make rapid progress. For example, teaching assistant apprentices working in nurseries with hearing impairment units learn British Sign Language and work with deaf children while they learn about inclusion in their apprenticeship training. This further teaching and practical application at work reinforces the topics apprentices learn in their apprenticeship training sessions.

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Tutors give apprentices detailed information about the education and employment opportunities available to them on completion of their training. They keep up to date with current changes in education so that apprentices develop employability skills that will help them in their current and future roles. Tutors provide high-quality careers advice and events. For example, teaching assistant apprentices interested in careers in special educational needs and/or disabilities learn about careers such as speech and language therapy from current specialist practitioners. As a result of this excellent guidance, apprentices can make informed decisions about their next steps. Many apprentices go on to higher paid roles with their current employers or get places on higher level qualifications, such as foundation degree courses.

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Leaders, managers and those responsible for governance have a very sound understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement of the apprenticeship programmes. They rigorously evaluate the effectiveness of teaching and assessment. They accurately identify areas for development and quickly implement well-considered strategies to resolve them. For example, leaders improved the consistency of tutors’ feedback on apprentices’ written work. The quality of the teaching and assessment that apprentices receive is consistently excellent regardless of their subject or tutor. 14 to 16 May 2024

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Leaders and managers identified the reasons why, when they first started training apprentices, too many did not complete their programmes. They put in place very effective measures to reverse this trend and subsequently a high proportion of current apprentices have remained in training.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 14 to 16 May 2024

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Provider details

Principal, CEO or equivalent Ben Sperring

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Provider details

Provider type Independent learning provider

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Provider details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected 14 to 16 May 2024

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the programme leader for professional learning, 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 Alison Loxton Ofsted Inspector 14 to 16 May 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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