Birmingham Open Media

Birmingham Open Media Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Rachel Clark, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: 12 Dudley Street Birmingham B5 4EA Monitoring visit: Birmingham Open Media, 19 and 20 June 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

Birmingham Open Media (BOM) is an adult learning provider based in Birmingham. It receives funding from the West Midlands Combined Authority to provide Skills Bootcamps (bootcamps). It provides 12-week bootcamps in digital games engines and virtual production. Since September 2023 it has delivered bootcamps to a total of 61 adult learners. At the time of the visit, there were 19 learners on week 10 of a bootcamp.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have created an ambitious Skills Bootcamp curriculum that prepares adult learners to either upskill or reskill their digital skills alongside the skills they need for employment. Through the curriculum, learners develop their professional portfolios to help them to gain promotion and progression in their existing roles or secure new work opportunities.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have a clear vision and rationale for their bootcamps. Using their extensive links with industry-specific stakeholders, leaders have designed a curriculum that supports an identified shortage of junior developer skills in the digital sector.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders strategically design and plan their courses to make them accessible and to remove barriers for adult learners. They prioritise course places for learners who are currently unemployed, living in government priority areas of the West Midlands and learners with a disability. They take active steps via recruitment campaigns and links with community groups, community centres and local careers events for adults to target priority areas. Leaders have used feedback from learners to change the teaching structure of their bootcamps, to help learners balance their studies with their work and childcare commitments. The number of learners who successfully complete their course is high. Monitoring visit: Birmingham Open Media, 19 and 20 June 2024 Leaders are supported well by a board of governance. Governors have extensive creative arts sector knowledge and experience to support the strategic planning of the bootcamp curriculums. Leaders are currently reviewing their governance board

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Reasonable progress

structure. They rightly recognise that they would benefit from expertise in government-funded adult education courses and safeguarding adults. Leaders have identified that by broadening the experience of board members they will be able to strengthen and facilitate closer scrutiny and challenge of the quality of education learners receive, and the arrangements for safeguarding.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have recruited tutors who are qualified and experienced in the subjects they teach. Tutors use their sector knowledge and industry skills to teach learners about concepts such as three-dimensional modelling and virtual world creation.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure tutors access regular sector-relevant professional development. Tutors are allocated time to carry out research and development in their areas of interest such as three-dimensional face scanning technology, green screen recording and audio synchronisation for musical performances. Learners benefit from tutors’ knowledge and expertise. Leaders recognise that they need to provide more opportunities for teachers to take part in professional development of their teaching skills to ensure continuous improvement, particularly for teaching and supporting learners with additional learning needs.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors capture information about what learners already know and can do at the start of the course. This information is used effectively to plan learners’ project work, so that they develop useful and substantial new knowledge and skills. Tutors frequently assess learning through project checkpoints. Tutors provide learners with useful feedback that helps them to improve their work to industry standards. By the end of their course, learners can use computer software to create a virtual space which includes moving avatars, music backdrops with trigger points, coding to create opening doors, three-dimensional objects, and different visual textures.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and staff use their sector links to create opportunities for learners to meet and engage with potential future employers. Learners produce work to showcase at the end of their course, and employers are invited along to look at the work. In a minority of instances, this has directly led to learners gaining employment.

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Reasonable progress

In the most recent bootcamp, almost all learners successfully completed their course. The majority of learners gain a new, sustained job, a promotion or increase in responsibility with their existing employer, and, for self-employed adults, the achievement of new contracts using the new skills they have learned. Monitoring visit: Birmingham Open Media, 19 and 20 June 2024

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have appropriate processes in place for the safeguarding of adults. They have systems in place to closely monitor and review any safeguarding concerns they have. Safeguarding incidents are dealt with in a suitable time and manner.

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Reasonable progress

Learners feel safe and supported by staff. They know who to contact if they have any concerns and are confident staff would deal with their concerns sensitively.

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Reasonable progress

The designated safeguarding lead is suitably trained for their role. They work closely with local partners such as the local city council, the Southside Business Improvement District, local police prevent officers and Birmingham city street wardens. However, leaders do not routinely share training and updates with staff so that they are alert to current safeguarding matters, including local risks. Monitoring visit: Birmingham Open Media, 19 and 20 June 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

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Reasonable progress

children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Reasonable progress

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Reasonable progress

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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

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