Ealing London Borough Council

Further education and skills inspection report

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Inspection of Ealing London Borough Council

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Adult learning programmes Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Information about this provider

Ealing London Borough Council Adult Learning Service, known as Learn Ealing, is part of Ealing Council’s Economy and Sustainability Directorate. Learn Ealing provides training in over 25 centres located across Ealing, including schools, children’s centres, libraries and community venues. This focus on working in local centres aligns with the borough’s ambition to engage disadvantaged adults in learning through the delivery of skills for jobs courses and tailored learning courses close to residents’ homes.

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Information about this provider

At the time of the inspection, there were 547 learners on a range of accredited and non-accredited programmes from pre-entry level to level 3. Just under a third of learners studied courses in English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) and 76 learners studied towards English and mathematics qualifications from entry level to level 2. Other courses included digital skills and early years level 3 qualifications. Tailored learning courses included languages, creative writing, family learning and cyber security. A few courses were taught online.

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Information about this provider

Learn Ealing works with three subcontractors. Ealing School of Languages is their largest subcontractor. 5 to 7 February 2025

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

Learners have a very positive attitude to their studies. Almost all have high attendance and arrive on time for lessons, ready to learn. Learners are respectful of the beliefs and cultures of their fellow learners. For example, at celebration events, learners share foods from their homelands and describe the importance of the food to their peers. Learners thoroughly enjoy their courses.

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

Learners participate in a range of very effective personal development opportunities. Leaders adapt the personal development curriculum to support learners’ needs, to include, for example, money management skills and mental health first aid. Learners participate eagerly, quickly gain confidence and become ambitious to improve their lives and those of their families.

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

Learners develop new knowledge and skills quickly, make new friends and become more confident. For example, in Italian lessons, learners gain the confidence to speak to their peers and their tutor. They describe their weekends and the food they have eaten accurately, using the correct tense and pronunciation. In ESOL, learners develop the skills to describe in detail the houses in their homelands and how they differ from their homes in Ealing. Most learners, including those with special education needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress and successfully complete their courses.

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

Learners feel safe. They know how to report any concerns they may have about their safety. Leaders work very effectively with local Resettlement and Safer Communities teams. They teach learners about local risks, fundamental British values and the rule of law. As a result, learners, including those who are new to the country and borough, know how to keep themselves and their families safe in the communities in which they live and work.

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better?

Leaders have a clear purpose for the training they provide. The curriculum offer is aligned to the council’s priorities of creating good jobs, tackling the climate crisis and fighting inequality. Leaders work effectively with employers to plan their curriculum offer. For example, they provide training for the local NHS trust to support people in non-clinical roles to develop much-needed digital and cyber security skills. However, leaders recognise that they have more to do to meet the need for English, mathematics and digital skills training across the borough.

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better?

Teachers are well qualified and enthusiastic about the subjects that they teach. In most cases, they use their subject knowledge well to teach interesting and effective lessons. In ESOL classes, tutors provide frequent opportunities for learners to practise and improve their conversation skills. They also teach learners how to use adjectives to help them describe aspects of their life in the borough, and how different adjectives can change the meaning of a sentence. However, tutors occasionally do not plan sufficiently challenging activities for learners who complete 5 to 7 February 2025

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tasks quickly. Consequently, these learners do not make progress at the pace of which they are capable.

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Most tutors make effective use of a range of assessment techniques, including when teaching online. In English and mathematics lessons, tutors set frequent tests to check that learners understand new concepts and to prepare them for their final examinations. In advanced Italian, tutors check that learners understand the meaning of new text and how to pronounce newly encountered words. However, in a few cases the feedback that tutors provide to learners is not effective. In these instances, feedback does not help learners to understand how they can improve their work.

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Leaders and tutors provide good support for learners that fall behind and are at risk of not completing their studies. For example, they have put in place effective systems to monitor learners’ attendance. Leaders use information gathered from this process well to create effective support plans for learners at risk of not completing their studies. Learners’ attendance and retention have increased markedly and are now high.

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Leaders and tutors provide learners with high-quality careers information and guidance. Tutors provide very effective support to help learners prepare CVs and job applications. Council leaders offer job fairs, which create opportunities for learners to meet with employers and to understand the skills that employers look for when recruiting. Most learners progress to further training and are aware of the career opportunities available to them.

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Leaders have a good understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement of the provision that they and their subcontractors offer. They carry out frequent quality assurance activities which include lesson visits and reviewing learner feedback. Leaders make sure that areas for improvement are tackled quickly. For example, having identified a weakness in the quality of target-setting for learners, leaders took appropriate steps to ensure that all learners have appropriately challenging targets linked to their tailored learning outcome.

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Leaders provide a range of effective professional development opportunities for staff, including those who work at their subcontractors. For example, they trained tutors in how to prepare learners for their English and mathematics examinations effectively. Tutors put their training into practice well. They now teach learners to read questions thoroughly, to understand the technical vocabulary used in mathematics examinations and to show how they have worked out their answers. As a result, most learners who take English and mathematics qualifications are better prepared for their examinations, and most pass on their first attempt.

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Advisory board members have good oversight of the quality of training. They meet frequently to review information provided by leaders on their strengths and areas for development. Board members provide effective support to leaders. For example, they supported the removal of zero-hour contracts for tutors and the appointment of permanent teaching staff. As a result of actions taken, learners benefit from greater 5 to 7 February 2025

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stability in the workforce, and the continuity of support from their mostly effective tutors.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Improve the quality of feedback so that learners on all courses are clear on how they can improve their work.  Take effective actions to ensure that tutors plan and teach sufficiently challenging lessons. 5 to 7 February 2025

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Provider details

Address 3rd Floor SE, Perceval House 14–16 Uxbridge Road London W5 2HL

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Provider details

Date of previous inspection February 2020

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Provider details

Main subcontractors Advantages of Age Ealing School of Languages Centre for Armenian Information and Advice 5 to 7 February 2025

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the head of adult 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

Paul Manning, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Jai Sharda Ofsted Inspector Joyce Deere Ofsted Inspector Christine Blowman Ofsted Inspector 5 to 7 February 2025

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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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