Ashley Community and Housing Ltd

Ashley Community and Housing Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Sarah Alexander, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection dates: 27 and 28 November 2024

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

Together Learning First Floor 27–31 Church Road Bristol BS5 9JJ Monitoring visit: Ashley Community and Housing Ltd, 27 and 28 November 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

Ashley Community and Housing Ltd is an independent learning provider that began teaching adult learning courses in January 2024. Through its designated training arm, Himilo, it offers courses for asylum seekers and refugees in English, mathematics, digital skills, life in the UK, and employability skills. At the time of the monitoring visit, 66 learners were in training, primarily studying pre-entry level English and the entry level employability skills ‘Bridge to Employment’ course. All training takes place face-to-face at a dedicated training centre in Bristol.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have an ambitious vision to support the integration of asylum seekers and refugees into the community and for them to gain meaningful employment that reflects their skills and abilities. For most learners, the primary barrier to integration and employment is limited English skills. Leaders have therefore prioritised functional skills English courses from pre-entry level to level 2, providing qualifications recognised by employers.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders work closely with employers to design bespoke employability courses tailored to employers’ needs. For example, they collaborated with Bristol Waste to create a course providing learners with experience in various roles and essential knowledge, such as workplace health and safety. This approach has supported learners in securing roles beyond entry level positions, enabling them to support themselves financially.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have trained staff to provide high-quality careers advice and guidance. Staff provide effective support to most learners, helping them make informed decisions about their future careers. When necessary, staff signpost learners to other further education providers and employment opportunities to pursue the training they need.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders maintain effective oversight of course quality through activities such as learning walks and scrutiny of learners’ work. They use this information well to deal with identified weaknesses, including improving learner attendance and retention. Monitoring visit: Ashley Community and Housing Ltd, 27 and 28 November 2024 Leaders carefully recruit staff who have faced similar experiences to ensure they understand the challenges learners face. However, they do not provide tutors with sufficient training to teach topics such as radicalisation and extremism effectively. Learners lack a clear understanding of these topics and their potential impact in the local area.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have established a governance board with significant experience in further and higher education. Board members are ambitious for learners and maintain a clear line of sight to the training that tutors provide. They frequently gather learner feedback to assure themselves of the quality of training provided.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and teachers carefully plan and sequence curriculums that equip learners with the knowledge and skills they need to achieve their personal goals. For example, learners build confidence in their communication skills, enabling them to use community services independently. Guest speakers, such as undergraduates from the University of Bristol Law School, help employability course learners understand the distinction between employed and self-employed workers’ rights. This motivates learners, empowers them to challenge their working conditions and excites them about their future opportunities.

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Reasonable progress

Most tutors provide effective feedback on learners’ written work to support learners’ progress. They use reviews of learners’ work and oral feedback to personalise improvement actions. Recently, tutors introduced a structured approach using ‘what went well’ and ‘even better if’ to give learners clear guidance on how to improve their work. Leaders acknowledge that developing assessment and feedback remains a priority and plan to provide additional training for tutors in these topics.

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Reasonable progress

Most tutors are highly experienced teaching professionals, drawing on their knowledge and life experience to teach a rich and varied curriculum. Learners develop trust in their tutors quickly, which builds their confidence and motivation for learning. Tutors use retrieval and questioning techniques effectively to deepen learners’ understanding, such as linking what they have learned in English lessons to employment skills. However, these techniques are less developed among newer staff, for whom leaders provide training where needed.

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Reasonable progress

For a very few learners studying English who make rapid progress, tutors do not provide sufficient opportunities to develop learners’ knowledge and skills further. Similarly, teachers do not provide additional teaching or resources for the few learners who make slower progress to support the development of their knowledge and language skills. Leaders recognise these weaknesses and have plans in place to train tutors to deal with this. Monitoring visit: Ashley Community and Housing Ltd, 27 and 28 November 2024

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have in place appropriate policies and procedures that they use to keep learners safe. Learners feel safe and know whom to contact if they have any concerns.

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Reasonable progress

Designated safeguarding staff are well qualified and possess relevant experience for the role. Leaders and managers ensure that staff are suitable to work with adult learners by undertaking background checks. Staff carry out safeguarding and ‘Prevent’ duty training every two years to develop their awareness of signs of abuse, radicalisation and welfare concerns in learners. Designated safeguarding staff supplement this with frequent updates via a monthly newsletter on topics such as financial abuse and exploitation. Monitoring visit: Ashley Community and Housing Ltd, 27 and 28 November 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

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Reasonable progress

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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Reasonable progress

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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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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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