Cedarwood Trust

Cedarwood Trust Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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Name of lead inspector: Jonny Wright, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: The Meadow Well Centre Avon Avenue North Shields NE29 7QT Monitoring visit: Cedarwood Trust, 20 and 21 June 2024

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Context and focus of visit

Cedarwood Trust was inspected in June 2023. At that time, inspectors judged the overall effectiveness of the provision to require improvement.

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Context and focus of visit

The focus of this monitoring visit was to evaluate the progress that leaders and managers have made in resolving the main areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection.

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Significant progress

Since the previous inspection, leaders and managers have developed an accurate and effective quality improvement plan based on the weaknesses that inspectors identified. They have identified very clear and specific actions, such as improving support for learners with additional needs, ensuring that trustees have oversight of provision, providing training for tutors in the craft of teaching and monitoring learner destinations to measure the impact of the curriculum. Almost all areas for improvement have been addressed, with the few that are still incomplete progressing well.

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Significant progress

Leaders and managers have developed effective processes to monitor the quality of the programmes that they provide. Managers have sought and used expertise from local education providers and from trustees with teaching experience to develop the quality assurance processes. They undertake activities such as observations of teaching across all programmes and audits of learners’ work, and collect feedback from learners systematically after each course. Managers use the information that they collect to inform improvements to the quality of education, such as the effective use of assessment in teaching.

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Significant progress

Leaders and managers have ensured that trustees have a clear oversight of the education programmes offered. They provide trustees with frequent updates about the progress and achievement of learners, areas for improvement that they have identified and the destinations of learners who have completed their courses. Trustees provide effective support for managers and tutors in relation to the development of the curriculum and the quality of education. Monitoring visit: Cedarwood Trust, 20 and 21 June 2024

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Significant progress

Tutors benefit from helpful support to improve their teaching skills. Managers bring their recent experience of teacher training from universities and share this with tutors. They provide training in current teaching theory and best practice in supporting learners with special educational needs such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism. Managers have plans in place for training to improve tutors’ skills further in using assessment techniques, providing support for learners with mental health issues, reflective practice and supporting learners for whom English is not their first language. Tutors have successfully applied their training to their practice, particularly when assessing learners’ progress and providing support for learners with additional learning needs.

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Significant progress

Leaders and managers ensure that tutors keep their knowledge of the health and social care and catering sectors up to date. Tutors liaise frequently with professional bodies such as the Care Quality Commission, work with local providers that specialise in health and social care and link with the local authority safeguarding team. Catering tutors keep their knowledge up to date by continuing to work in the industry and completing short training programmes in areas such as food labelling and food hygiene. As a result, tutors provide training that mirrors professional practice in both health and social care and catering.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and tutors have established clear processes to identify learners’ starting points. They assess learners’ prior knowledge and experience and explore additional support needs in a variety of ways to determine accurately the support required. For example, tutors conduct early assessment in-person at community venues local to where learners live and follow this up with one-to-one discussions with learners at the training centre.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors use information from initial assessment well to adapt their training and provide learners with personalised teaching. They vary their questioning techniques based on learners’ prior knowledge, provide learners, where appropriate, with tools to maintain their concentration and support learners to use breakout spaces when they need time out. Learners with dyslexia receive additional time to process information during learning activities. However, the recording of initial information for a few learners with limited English language skills is less effective and does not capture accurately their language development needs. Monitoring visit: Cedarwood Trust, 20 and 21 June 2024

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Significant progress

Leaders have ensured that assessment is fully integrated into the curriculum and that its effectiveness is checked through quality assurance processes. They have prioritised training on assessment to support tutors to assess more accurately the progress that learners make from their starting points.

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Significant progress

Tutors use the training they have received to plan and implement a range of effective strategies to assess learners’ progress. They use questioning and quizzes to test learners’ recall of knowledge and scenarios for learners to apply their knowledge in different contexts. Tutors recognise and praise learners’ successes, which motivates learners to develop their knowledge and practise their skills.

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Significant progress

Tutors provide helpful feedback that enables learners to improve their knowledge and skills. They explain what learners can do well and give clear direction, both verbally and through demonstration, to support learners to improve. Learners act on this feedback and, as a result, apply their knowledge and skills well in practical tasks in a catering environment.

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Significant progress

Tutors address learners’ misconceptions and help them to correct their mistakes. For example, they clarify the correct pronunciation of words to ensure that learners can communicate effectively in a busy kitchen environment, and they model effective practical techniques when using kitchen equipment. Tutors observe learners as they correct their pronunciation and practical techniques to be assured of their progress. Monitoring visit: Cedarwood Trust, 20 and 21 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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Significant progress

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

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Significant progress

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Significant progress

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Significant progress

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Significant progress

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

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